Firewomen prove they exist

[UnWilly]

This is simultaneously lovely and awful

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-46931715

Four-year old girl wishes she was a boy so she could become a fire fighter

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-46931715

“The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) praised the video but said more needed to be done to recruit women in the fire service. According to the council, 95% of firefighters in England are male and white.”

It might have helped to retain sex-segregated changing facilities.

Current London Fire Brigade Commissioner (Dany Cotton) is female.

It's interesting though that when people hear a sex/gender neutral term like fire fighter or police officer they still think man.

For example WPC used to be a different job to that of a PC. But hasn't been for decades. So how does a sex/gender neutral term now seem to make women invisible.

Interesting question, Unwilly. Though worth nothing that WPC, as you state, was a separate job i.e. with separate powers...initially women were allowed to join the police in this role but had to call on proper coppers (i.e. men) for full duties like powers of arrest so I'm not sad to see WPC go...

In this case, it seems like the issue arose because of gendered kids books, not job titles:

"When I said 'girls can be firefighters too', she said 'but I've seen in books they are all boys and I don't want to be the only girl'."

Would male nurses (apparently about 11.5%) similarly have to prove they exist?

Or, would a boy wish he were a girl so he could become a nurse?

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) praised the video but said more needed to be done to recruit women in the fire service. According to the council, 95% of firefighters in England are male and white.

Currently only 8% of uniformed fire staff in WMFS are female.

So a higher percentage of women doing uniform roles (like fighting fires!) than support staff. That's unexpected.

Isn't there a female officer in Firefighterman Sam?

So a higher percentage of women doing uniform roles (like fighting fires!) than support staff. That's unexpected.

Do older staff tend move from uniform roles to support? That might explain it, as presumably there are more women recruited more recently.

What about Firefighter Penny Morris in Fireman Sam? I find it difficult to believe that a child obsessed with firefighting has never come across that, even if the new CGI version is utterly demented. There are even books if the parents are anti-television.

So is that Fire Fighter Penny but Fire Man Sam??

Also, love this about Fireman Sam

www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2014/feb/07/fireman-sam-the-worst-childrens-programme-ever

Yes, Penny is ”firefighter” but Sam is ”Fireman”, but it was the 80s. I don't know about the modern CGI one - avoided since I saw a clip of them roping off an entire field and calling out the mountain rescue for a cat down a well. Don't need my childhood ruined like that.

would a boy wish he were a girl so he could become a nurse?

I think the difference there is that (despite the huge number of women doctors) the boy would have seen lots of images of a 'male' medical role he can choose.

Thirty Years after "London's Burning," America is catching on:

www.sky.com/new-search/station-19?q=Station%2019

I know this is a tangent but I've been trying to think of how they left London's Burning. So far for positives I have Bayleaf (left to run a restaurant after being scammed) and Tate, the original station master who retired. All the rest either died or had terrible injuries that I remember. Can anyone do better?

Incidently, Colin went to be a fireman at a regional car racetrack after being injured out. I have decided this and you cant make me change my mind!

For example WPC used to be a different job to that of a PC. But hasn't been for decades.

I'm a female copper and it's infuriating. I still get WPC sometimes and often get people thinking I'm 'just' a neighborhood officer, or must work in child protection. I'm going for my firearms later this year but I doubt it'll make much difference

Follow this firefighter if looking for role model twitter.com/Flaminhaystack/status/1086891337750847488

So a higher percentage of women doing uniform roles (like fighting fires!) than support staff. That's unexpected.
That's way off. Huge percentage more in support roles.

BasilFaulty

My daughter was wearing her police costume when we went to pick my other child up from school recently. Every single person who commented said something along the lines of "are you a policeman today" or "hello mr policeman". And they were mostly women saying it too. I was really surprised!

In "London's Burning," Josie was Firewoman Ingham, but Sam Beckinsale after her was Firefighter Cross.

Creating new rights to eradicate “disablism” would mean that institutions such as the police, fire service or army would no longer be able to discriminate in favour of the able-bodied. Campaigners against sex discrimination have already ensured that the fire service cannot discriminate against women. The price, however, of this equality, has been that those in danger are forced to depend on firefighters who lack the physical strength to discharge their duties.

Micheal Gove 2000 The Price of Peace

The test is whether someone can fulfill the genuine requirements of the job. To disbar people otherwise is unfair

Michael Gove talking bollocks, there's a surprise.
He failed to discriminate between the two meanings of the word 'discriminate'. The first is wrong, the second is necessary.

1.the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.

2.recognition and understanding of the difference between one thing and another.

...in the case of firefighters, you simply need to discriminate between someone who can do the required job and someone who can't. Shame the same doesn't seem to apply to politicians.