Women in Fire and Rescue Services

1. Question

Is your national and local Fire and Rescue Service a State or Municipal Service?

• London Fire Brigade – metropolitan
• United Kingdom – metropolitan/non-metropolitan, private, nuclear
• Sweden – municipal, private organisations - nuclear, airport
• Norway – municipal and private organisations
• Denmark – municipal and private organisations
• Slovenia – municipal, private organisations, airport
• Austria – municipal, private organizations, airport

2. Question

How many operational women firefighters do you have in your Fire and Rescue Service (State or municipal)?

• London Fire Brigade, UK – 327 – 6.87%

3. Question

How many operational women firefighters do you have in your country? How many chiefs do you have?

• Sweden: 194 full time – 3.9%, 616 part time – 5.8%, 5 Fire Chiefs
• Finland: volunteer -10%,
• England: 1,262 whole time -4.99%, 525 retained duty – 5.5%. One Chief Fire Officer (two from 1 January 2017)
• Slovenia: 3 full time – 0.4%, 12,000 volunteer – approximately 15%
• Austria:19,672 – 6% (2015)
• Norway: 4 full time Fire Chiefs

4. Question

Do you have volunteer Fire and Rescue Services? State whether you have a Brigade/Station/Fire Department/Fire and Rescue Service and what they comprise?

• UK – none
• Slovenia – 1,300 fire stations, 15 professional Fire Brigades (stations)
• Norway – none
• Sweden – yes
• Austria – 4,503 fire stations volunteer, 314 Works Fire Brigades, 6 Professional Fire Brigades
• Finland – 709 fire department 491 volunteers, 200 part time, 18 industrial fire brigades. Full time 112.

Friday March 06 2015 was a historic day in Finland from a woman's perspective.
A national women’s network was launched for those who are active in world of rescue operations. The aspiration of the network is to promote personal development and to provide peer support.
 
The idea of this network evolved from the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services (CTIF). International work, is coordinated in Finland by The Finnish National Rescue Association (SPEK), with Finland being one of the member countries in CTIF’s Commission Women in Fire and Rescue Services. The collaboration started as a working group in 2013 resulting in achieving commission status in 2014, with the wider operation identifying the need of a national network for rescue women in Finland. The network is open to all women operating in the rescue field whether voluntary or professional.

The common aim is to harness other women’s organizations in existence and by doing so SPEK, as a central organization, provides the network its support through mechanisms and assistance in coordination.
 
The seminar showcased international women's activities, including the Swedish women's operation of the network, in addition to highlighting women's experience in the field of rescue operations in Finland. Internationally, the status of women varies a lot, depending on their country.
 
Those who were involved in the seminar all agreed that women should be treated as equals, whether professionals or volunteers, and provide the opportunity to develop in accordance with their own personality. Rescue men and women have the same goals and therefore the network is not competing within the men’s arena. However, for the purpose of identifying the specific needs of women and at the same time working and competing harmoniously with men, it is important that women have the opportunity to network with other likeminded women.

Sirpa Suomalainen
Regional director at The Finnish National Rescue Association SPEK
sirpa.suomalainen(a)spek.fi

Caption: More than 60 rescue women, as well as few open-minded rescue men met at the seminar in Helsinki. Seminar was organized by SPEK.