Firefighting has always been a male-dominated occupation. Women make up only 5% of all firefighters in the United States and many are the sole woman working in their rural fire departments. The average salary for a female firefighter is nearly $20.000 per year (or 28%) less than the average male salary.
The first known female firefighter was Molly Williams, a slave who became a member of an engine company in New York in 1818. Now there are over 14,000 female firefighters in the US.
These women come together annually to a women-only fire camp where female firefighters have a chance to meet and train with other women in live fire, power tools, auto extrication, and forcible entry drills.