The fire service has traditionally been dominated by men, and continues to be in many departments across the country.
But that isn’t the case for South Whidbey Fire/EMS.
“When I first got here, one of my realizations was that there were a lot of females because I came from a department that didn’t have many,” said Deputy Chief Wendy Moffatt. “That was enlightening and exhilarating, and I think it also shows we’re a good representation of our community.”
According to data from the National Fire Protection Association, 3.4 percent of firefighters across the country in 2012 were female. That statistic only includes career firefighters and excludes administrators, managers and volunteers.