PHOTO: Whether you see them standing beside a brush fire or driving a fire engine toward a structure fire, there are women in the Gila Valley gearing up and showing up.
The Pima, Thatcher, and Safford fire departments all have had women on their fire teams at one time or another. Currently, Safford and Pima have two women firefighters in each of their crews.
According to every woman department member interviewed, they receive no special treatment. All the firefighters go through the same training, have the same time requirements and receive the same pay. Lori Ballesteros, 36, is a mother of two and works as a full-time firefighter and emergency medical services tech for the San Carlos reservation. She became Safford’s first lady firefighters when she began volunteering on her days off in 2018. She often finds herself behind the wheel of fire engines.