Women in Fire
Over the past decade, the number of female firefighters has increased. Statistics from the 2020 US Fire Department Profile indicated there are approximately 90,000 female firefighters in the country, equating to 9% of all firefighters. The vast majority (72,400) of these female firefighters hold volunteer positions. Over 22,316 fire chiefs are currently employed in the United States, approximately 6% are women.
Women in Fire began in 1982 as a group of less than 200 women firefighters. We’ve grown to 1,000+ members united in advocating for women leaders in the fire and emergency service industries.
Women in Fire is an organization dedicated to championing female leadership and participation within the fire and emergency services. While our focus is on women, our membership includes male firefighters of all ranks, as well as institutional supporters. Members hail from 48 states and eleven countries. Our coalition represents hundreds of individuals contributing to the fire and emergency services in various roles:
- Career
- Volunteer
- Union officials
- Urban fire departments
- State or federal wildland agencies
- EMT’s
- Paramedics
- Inspectors
- Dispatchers
- Fire service educators
- Research scientists