VIDEO: San Jose firefighter Stephanie Cerini polished a fire truck at Fire Station 14 in West San Jose on Thursday, where she serves, metaphorically, as an island in a sea of men. She joined the department over a decade ago, as a wide-eyed teenager, drawn to this type of work.
"I had no idea what the job entailed. One of my friends had mentioned that there’s an explorer program and I decided to join that, and it became something that I’m very passionate about," she said.
The San Jose Fire Department hopes to spark a similar passion in others when, on Saturday, it hosts its fifth annual Women’s Boot Camp. The one-day event is open to women, including those non-binary, gender-non-conforming, and trans women in the community.
Seventy-five women, ages 18-to-24 have already signed up.