Lani Gomes wasn’t planning to be a trailblazer when she left her desk job to become a firefighter in 2001.
She said she knew that she wanted “to be active in the community and do a job that was physical, and then that position seemed to be the best fit.”
In October, after 17 years on the job, Gomes was promoted to captain of the Training Bureau, earning the distinction as the Maui Fire Department’s second-ever female fire captain, after Kris Williams in the 1990s, said Fire Services Chief Rylan Yatsushiro.
Gomes is one of just three female uniformed firefighters in the department, which may not be surprising. In 2016, just 4.5 percent of firefighters in the U.S. were women, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. They also earn less overall — a $51,926 median annual salary compared to a $68,680 median wage for men.