TULSA, Okla. — Of approximately 700 firefighters in the Tulsa area, only about 30 are women.
Tulsa Metro Women on Fire is a non-profit started by two Tulsa firefighters who saw a need for a space for the women firefighters around northeast Oklahoma.
Their goal is to empower women already in the fire field and encourage those who may be interested but aren’t sure if they can do it. They also have a bigger purpose , Hydrants of Hope, is a separate non-profit raising funds for pediatric cancer.
“Knowing that Hydrants of Hope was started by a Tulsa fireman, it was really important for us to give back to the community,” said Kendall Taylor, co-founder of Tulsa Metro Women on Fire. “I mean, that’s what we do for our jobs every day, and that’s who we are as people.”
In the six years since they began, they raised $100,000 for Hydrants of Hope. They raise funds through an annual calendar, merchandise and several events across the community.
With few departments made up of women, they simply wanted to create a group to bring the women in fire across the area together.
"There’s 9% of female firefighters in the United States, so less than 2% of that are career female firefighters,” said Taylor. “There’s just such a small number of us that we have to stick together in order to make positive changes and to create a vision of what female firefighters are.”
Alexa Reed, co-founder of Tulsa Metro Women on Fire, said it’s important for the representation and awareness to be there, so women of all ages know they can do whatever they set their minds to do.
“I feel like doing the calendar, doing the girls camp, all of these little marks along the way help little girls know, ‘Oh, I can do that too,’” said Reed. “Not to be afraid because there’s some stigma or they just have only ever seen men get off the truck.”
Only four women in the group are with the Tulsa Fire Department. Taylor said it was shocking for both of them to see how much interest there was and how far they have reached.
You can find Tulsa Metro Women on Fire on their Facebook and learn more about the group by clicking here.
“A lot of our girls are from rural areas where they may be the only female in their department,” said Taylor. “It’s just a really cool experience for us to kind of just be the group that other females lean on.”
Their 'Camp Fierce' two-day event is scheduled for October in Tahlequah. It invites any woman interested in the career or who is curious about what goes into being a firefighter, to sign up.
The group is looking into grant funding so they can do more events and outreach in the community.
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