Two of Boulder City’s newest reserve firefighters joined the department for a unique reason: Their fellow firefighters treat them like equals and not like women.
“You just feel like one of them,” said Sarah Mitre about the Boulder City Fire Department. “I really appreciate that. I want to be a firefighter, not a female firefighter. I don’t want to be any different.”
Mitre and Casey Jones were members of the 2020-2021 class of the fire department’s reserve program fire academy. The reserve academy provides training for men and women who want to become firefighters. Once completed, the reserve firefighters are able to work several shifts per month at the Boulder City station.
“Three years ago I would have said, ‘No, I don’t want to go into fire,’” said Jones. “Boulder City has absolutely changed that.”