What does it mean to be a woman in a union that has historically only represented men? The demographics of the fire service have changed dramatically over the last 20 years. Our unions have responded to this shift in a variety of ways, sometimes as enthusiastic allies and champions and sometimes with much less understanding, consideration and curiosity. Join us for a candid conversation about how we’ve navigated some of the challenges of being women in a male-dominated profession, held our Association accountable, and pushed to move the needle on how equity-deserving members are represented by our executives. And we want to hear from you too. PPE isn’t one-size-fits-all, although the IAFF structure can feel rigid and hierarchical, firefighters and associations have found creative ways to respond to and represent member needs and concerns. We’ll talk about sex, gender, PPE, pregnancy, collective agreements, union committee work, steward advocacy, women’s physical and mental health, and community building and how this translates into women’s success and safety on the fireground and in the fire service.
