The last 'boys' own' club?

Given the obvious unwelcome feeling this engenders, some women don’t bother to turn up again. There are no steps being taken to deal with this dismissive and cavalier manner. Yet women as a group are more interested and participatory in voluntarism than men. Yet the disparity continues. Why doesn’t Queensland Rural Fire Service take a more active role in pushing Equity Policies? In demanding that women are given a fairer go?

Women are every bit as efficient as men. They are competent and capable.

In reading through the reports of the fires that caused so much havoc and angst in Canberra, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, the thing that yells at you from the pages is the inefficiency with which most of these fires were managed, and not only from fire-fighters on the ground. Fire-fighters themselves, inadequately trained, misinformed, and struggling with extreme conditions they could not have trained for were virtually powerless in the path of these fires.

As a result of these reports, changes have been implemented nationwide to increase adaptability, but in Queensland they are being met with resistance at some individual fire brigades.

Women seem to be more aware of how these changes will positively affect the outcome for future fires. Women interact more, and are less resistant to change. They are more likely to read reports and, with their increased adaptability brought about by changes they deal with on a daily and long-term basis, are more likely to insist on what they perceive will be the most beneficial course of action. This does not come about by any in-built magic, but from experiential observations leading to increased adaptability. They will bring this to a fire brigade.

Having women actively involved in fire-fighting can only be of benefit to all. So why do Queensland fire-fighters seem to want to exclude women? Is it the last “boys' own club”?

Women may or not behave differently in similar circumstances. But they certainly have more awareness of the problems to be addressed. And women are generally not so concerned about a pecking order. They are more likely to be concerned with the problems confronting them. Which very well may have favourable implications for fighting fires. So why are they being ignored in such numbers in Queensland?