Steph Bouillion never thought she’d be a firefighter.
The odds seemed to be against her. Last December, the 27-year-old became one of just two women hired by the Garland Fire Department in nearly 15 years.
“I know I’m one of a few,” she said.
In North Texas, female firefighters are scarce. Data provided to The Dallas Morning News by 20 fire departments in the Dallas-Fort Worth area shows that as of June, women made up more than 2 percent of firefighters in just six departments. Female firefighters in leadership positions are rarer still.
One department, Lewisville, has never employed a female firefighter.
But North Texas isn’t an outlier for its low numbers. Though women have been working as firefighters for decades, national statistics show their numbers haven’t grown much over time. In local departments, the reason is simple, some officials say: Far fewer women than men apply to become firefighters. Another factor? A qualifying test that is difficult for all candidates, one that some experts believe disproportionately thwarts women's chances at a career in firefighting.
“We’ve basically flatlined at 4 percent of the fire service,” said Barbara Russo, director of the Fire and Emergency Services Administration program at Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, N.C., who has conducted research on gender issues in the fire service.