The Deputy Chief of the Powell River Fire Department is looking to encourage more women to look at firefighting as a career option.
Rocky Swanson says women continue to be under-represented in emergency services careers, including firefighting. He says he’s working on initiatives to encourage women to apply.
He notes it’s not about recruiting one gender over the other, but ensuring the department fully represents the community it serves, which is half women.
Swanson says he’d like to see firefighting become a top-of-mind choice as women consider their career options. He says firefighting can offer an extremely rewarding career in the trades.
Swanson says one of the major weaknesses in fire departments across the country is a lack of women in the departments.
