Any uniform symbolises oneness and togetherness in mission and vision. It doesn’t discriminate, neither on the basis of faith nor gender. The Fire Brigade department is no different. The city’s women firefighting crew believes they are not women during fire calls, they are just fighters. Their Women’s Day message is: “When a woman makes up her mind, she becomes unstoppable and can overcome any hurdle”.
Chief Fire Brigade officer Hemant Parab said there is no difference between men and women when fighting fire. He said the women in their team work shoulder to shoulder during all fire calls. He added, “We currently have 127 women firefighters and have a 30 per cent quota for women. We recruit them whenever there is a vacancy. The women in our team have been dedicated and been there alongside male personnel during the most difficult fire situations as well.”
Assistant station officer at Byculla, Sunita Patil-Khot said her father encouraged her to join Fire Brigade when the first recruitment of women firefighters began. “When I gave the entrance test, I thought it wasn’t that difficult, but when I went for my first duty call at Mantralaya in 2012, I realised this work is not easy,” said, adding that it did not deter her because opportunities that she gets to save lives encourage her to continue without stopping. “I remember when I saved two pregnant women during an incident, and they recognised me at another event where their family members came and thanked me, it really felt good,” she recalls.
Khot said, “I agree this is a male-dominated profession but I have always experienced equality in the Mumbai fire team. There hasn’t been a single day when I felt inferior compared to my male colleagues.”
Assistant station officer at Wadala, Shubhangi Bhor said when they reach a fire spot, it doesn’t matter if one is a man or a woman; everyone is there to help trapped citizens. “I don’t think of myself as a woman who is biologically weaker than a man; I give my best at every given situation and that is what makes men and women equal in this profession,” she said.
Bhor said her uncle was in the fire team; he helped her join the department when there was a vacancy. “For women to do well in such professions, it is very important to have supportive families, both before and after marriage, and I am blessed to have both,” she said, encouraging women all over the state to join the fire team.
