By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
When they were kids, Kayla Laumann and Dolly Morgan didn’t dream of being firefighters. That just wasn’t something girls thought was possible.
There were no role models for female firefighters – either in the community or on the silver screen. Fire departments were almost exclusively male, and forget about seeing brave female figures fighting blazes on TV shows or in movies. Those roles were saved for macho, muscle-bound men.
Across the nation, the number of female firefighters is still small, with women making up about 5% of career firefighters, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.
In Bowling Green, the fire division has had no women firefighters/paramedics – until now.
Laumann and Morgan recently completed their training at the Ohio Fire Academy, along with two men joining BGFD, Bodie Bankey and Dan Pereira.
Bowling Green Fire Chief Bill Moorman is pleased to finally have females on the force.
“Women are more than capable of being firefighters,” he said. “It’s not about brute strength, it’s about doing it right.”
Both Laumann and Morgan graduated in the top 5% of the fire academy training.
“Nothing is given to anyone in the fire service,” Moorman said. “These women have proven they are qualified to be firefighters in Bowling Green. They are more than capable.”
Moorman said BGFD went so long without female staff because Bowling Green isn’t a large department.
“We are kind of an unknown entity. We haven’t had a lot of female candidates,” the chief said.
But more new firefighters – of both genders – are becoming familiar with BGFD during a fairly new paramedic ride-along program through Owens Community College.
Laumann, from Perrysburg, became acquainted with the fire division during her ride-alongs in Bowling Green.
“It was very inclusive. I felt really at home here,” said Laumann, who has worked with the fire departments in Perrysburg Township and Sylvania. “They truly want to fully progress the department.”
Laumann convinced Morgan, from Brownstown, Michigan, that she should also apply for a position with BGFD.
“She said the guys were very excited to have women apply,” said Morgan, who has worked with fire departments in Rossford and Swanton.
Neither woman dreamed of being firefighters when they were children, since the profession didn’t seem open to women.
“I never thought of it as a career till I saw a female firefighter,” Laumann said.
“The career in media is notoriously male dominated,” Morgan said, predicting that will change as more women enter the fire service. “Seeing people in the profession will change that.”
The physical requirements for firefighting are tough – for either gender. That may discourage some women from considering the job.
“It’s very physically demanding, so some think they can’t do it,” Morgan said.
“Some women see it as intimidating,” Laumann said.
For Morgan, the toughest requirement is “throwing ladders.” Firefighters have to be able to get a ladder off the truck, carry it to a structure, and put it up against the building – by themselves.
For Laumann, the most physically demanding job is maneuvering hoses. “Moving hose can be a lot,” she said. “It’s all upper body sometimes.”
But Moorman pointed out that 85% of the emergency calls to BGFD are for EMS. And the addition of female paramedics will be helpful in many incidents, such as those calls involving violence against women, the chief said.
“There definitely have been a lot of situations when a female firefighter would be good,” Moorman said.
The addition of women firefighters in Bowling Green has necessitated some building modifications at the East Court Street fire station where Laumann and Morgan work. BGFD Deputy Chief Tony Zmarzly explained that when the station was built in 1984, there were no living accommodations made for female firefighters.
The firefighters work 24-hour shifts, so an extra bunk room has been constructed on the station’s second floor, as well as female restrooms and showers.
Zmarzly said the male firefighters are pleased to have female firefighters join the division.
“I think everybody is really excited about the change. There’s new energy,” he said.
