sNok signflz
MAY 15, 2021
9
Women make up less than 8 percent of firefighters
FIREFIGHTERS
continued from front page
a Tribal member and give back.
It’s very exciting and an awesome
opportunity to serve the people who
helped me in my development as a
person.”
Barry, 21, and fellow Tribal mem-
ber Brandy Bishop, 39, finished fire
academy one training recently and
now only have to pass final exams.
They’re part of a fire station that
is rare in the field, one with four
women and two men, making it 66
percent female.
The other women in the depart-
ment are firefighter/emergency
medical technician Erika Alcantar
and firefighter/paramedic Tammy
Tigner, who also serves as the
Tribe’s training and volunteer
coordinator. Bishop is the Tribe’s
emergency preparedness coordi-
nator, while Alcantar and Barry
are employed as COVID-19 contact
tracers.
Nationally, women make up less
than 8 percent of the country’s
firefighters, according to statistics
from a 2018 study by the National
Fire Protection Association. Com-
paratively, 13 percent of police
officers are female, 21 percent of
paramedics or emergency medical
technicians are women and 20
percent of the U.S military is com-
prised of females.
The West Valley Fire District has
30 volunteer firefighters, of which
five are female, and 25 paid fire-
fighters, four of whom are female.
The Tribe is in the process of taking
over fire protection and emergency
medical response in the Grand
Ronde area from West Valley.
“I’ve been in the Emergency Man-
agement Department since it was
brand new,” Bishop says. “Since
then, I’ve had lots of education
and experiences. When I had the
opportunity to develop the emer-
gency medical services/fire side, I
decided to jump in and try. This is
all very new to me, but I’m thrilled
to learn this and honored to be a
part of it. I see the capability of the
Tribe improving by adding fire to
its services.”
The two have been mentored in
the often challenging process of
becoming firefighters by Alcantar,
25, who graduated from Chemeke-
ta Community College with a fire
science degree and worked as a
volunteer firefighter for the West
Valley Fire District for three years.
She also serves as an instructor
at the volunteer fire academy in
McMinnville and understands
the challenges women in the fire
service face, particularly how to
successfully carry 75 pounds of gear
during training and on the job.
“I really enjoy being an instructor
and helping other women at the
academy successfully get through
the training,” Alcantar says. “I
enjoy helping make it a rewarding
experience and seeing everyone
come together.”
Barry worked for the Tribe pre-
viously in the Education Depart-
ment, but never forgot her goal of
becoming a firefighter. During last
Tribal fire departments are uncommon
Tribally operated fire depart-
ments are not the norm in the
United States.
The only statistics that are
readily accessible are from the
Department of the Interior’s Wild-
land Fire Management program,
which notes that 89 Tribes across
Indian Country manage pro-
grams, and some units provide
services to multiple Tribes. Na-
tionwide, there are 574 federally
recognized Tribes.
Oregon has nine recognized
Tribes. Three of those – Grand
Ronde, Warm Springs and Uma-
tilla – have Tribally operated fire
departments. The Burns Pauite
Tribe is in the beginning stages
of volunteer recruitment.
Umatilla has seven full-time
employees and 25 volunteer
firefighters. None of the career
firefighters are female. Officials
in Warm Springs could not be
reached for comment.
The Grand Ronde Tribe will be
responsible for fire and emergency
medical response in the commu-
nity by 2025. As early as Decem-
ber 2019, the Tribe expressed
its desire to add fire to its list of
sovereign nation public safety re-
sponsibilities. Under a transition
plan, the Tribe’s Emergency Man-
summer’s catastrophic western
Oregon wildfires, she took the first
step in that direction.
“I spent the time as a wildland
firefighter and that opened doors
for me to be here,” she says. “But
in a way, working with Youth Ed-
ucation also prepared me because
every day was different and you
always needed to be ready.”
The fire academy combines class-
room learning with real-world ex-
periences, such as controlled burns
of empty buildings to teach critical
lifesaving skills. Next month, Barry
will begin her emergency medi-
cal technician certification while
Bishop is in the process of earning
her bachelor’s degree in emergency
management.
“It has been a challenge, but also
an awesome experience,” Barry
says. “People really care and are out
to teach us the best they can. The
physical aspect can be challenging,
but I also enjoy figuring it out and
seeing what my abilities are. The
fire academy was so fun.”
She says that working at the
Grand Ronde Fire Department
during her training was invalu-
able when it comes to hands-on
experience.
“I get one-on-one time with people
here who have the time to teach
me different techniques,” Barry
says. “That is something I have
the opportunity to experience only
because the fire department here is
operated by the Tribe.”
Adds Bishop, “We get a chance
to really test out our skills and see
what works.”
Bishop says that although the fire
academy training has been chal-
agement Program has assumed
fire station operations.
“A Tribally controlled, equipped
and staffed fire station centrally
located in Grand Ronde is an
effective and efficient means to
provide an enhanced level of fire
and emergency medical services
to Tribal lands and promotes
sovereignty,” states the intergov-
ernmental agreement with the
West Valley Fire District.
The Grand Ronde Fire Station
has been in operation since 2010,
after the Tribe and West Valley
Fire District signed their first
intergovernmental agreement in
July 2009 to build and operate it.
The $1 million station also has
received hundreds of thousands
of dollars annually from the
Tribe to fund operations.
During the five-year transition,
the Tribe will continue to fund
personnel to staff the fire station
while the Tribe and West Valley
Fire District will work to recruit
Grand Ronde Tribal members
for full-time positions. The Tribe
has already applied for several
federal grants that would help
purchase firefighting equipment
and an ambulance for the local
fire station.
– By Danielle Harrison
lenging, it’s also enjoyable.
“The best part was really pushing
myself and finding out what those
limits are, with guidance and help,”
she says. “Firefighting was not some-
thing I imagined doing as a child, but
knowing I can do it and I can keep
setting new boundaries and keep
growing is very gratifying.”
“Something I took away from this
experience was to really be able to
put myself out there,” Barry says.
“Showing up when there are mostly
all men (at the academy) can be
scary. With the teammates we have
here and a chief who believes in us
100 percent, I wasn’t afraid of try-
ing my hardest and if it didn’t work
out, at least I gave it 100 percent.”
Alcantar, who was one of three
women in a class of 50 at Cheme-
keta Community College, says she
dealt with an outspoken male stu-
dent who didn’t feel women should
be firefighters. She says working in
Grand Ronde is a welcome change.
“It feels good to be able to push
ourselves and have support from
the guys who work with us,” she
says.
Adds Barry, “I feel completely
safe in this workspace and sup-
ported by the men I work with.
They have told me it is good to have
another perspective. I come from a
background of women who break
barriers so this is another one.”
Bishop says the strong female
representation is a direct result of
support from top Tribal leadership.
“Also, I’ve been brought up that
your gender doesn’t matter and
have never felt like it was an issue
here and I’m grateful for that,” she
says.
Even with supportive coworkers
and supervisors, there are days
that can seem overwhelming.
“We have all been through that
where you didn’t do as well as
you wanted,” Bishop says. “That’s
when you do a self-check to see
what you have accomplished and
that’s where you get your strength
to go on.”
Barry faced difficulties during
one of the academy’s testing days,
where as much as she pushed her-
self, she was unable to complete a
drill in a set amount of time. That’s
when others urged her to slow down
and take a step back.
“We came back together, I did the
drill slower and more methodically,
and I got it done right,” she says.
“Having support, I felt way more
confident and knew it wasn’t over
and that I wasn’t in over my head.”
All of the women say they enjoy
being role models for the next gen-
eration.
“I remember the first time I went
on a car fire and a little kid said,
‘Oh wow, that firefighter is a girl,’ ”
Alcantar says. “I really enjoy being
able to be there for the community
and feel like I made a difference.”
Barry says her niece is proud and
likes to introduce her to others as
“my auntie the firefighter.”
“I grew up here my entire life and
like being available to help,” she
says. “I’m proud of my hard work
and want to show other Tribal kids
that you can do anything you want.
You just have to work hard for it. …
The Tribe has given me more oppor-
tunities than I can even imagine.”
Bishop calls the process an “amaz-
ing journey.”
“I am extremely proud of where
this department has been and
where it is going,” she says. “We
are here to see it flourish. It’s also
one area where we can leave the
politics out and collaborate because
it is all about safety and protecting
our people.”
Adds Barry, “I also want to be
a part of uplifting other Tribal
communities and extending a help-
ing hand to them, which is really
gratifying. We are also creating a
much needed relationship with the
outside community.”
Fire Chief Steve Warden, who is
also the Tribe’s Emergency Oper-
ations coordinator and a longtime
volunteer firefighter, appreciates
having a female perspective in the
department.
“The people I have on board here
all have motivation, drive and a
good attitude,” he says. “Putting
that aside, having these four wom-
en here really provides a positive
role model for what we want to do
here. We want people to know that
if you meet the criteria, you are
welcome here. I want somebody’s
daughter to look at her dad or
mom and say, ‘I want to become a
firefighter.’ If you put the Tribe first
and the community first, you’re
going to have a long and fulfilling
career. … We are helping lay the
foundation for a community fire
department that people can take
pride in. I see nothing but a bright
future here.”