Township empowers – and highlights – women firefighters

The Deptford Fire Department recently hosted a showcase of its female volunteers at Blackwood Terrace firehouse to celebrate March’s International Women’s Month.

The five women showcased skills that included suiting up for a call, handling a fire hose and taking a firetruck out. Female firefighters from Blackwood Terrace – also known as Union Fire Company – Tacoma and Oak Valley companies participated in the showcase.

The Blackwood firehouse was chosen as host for the event because it has the most women – six – out of the seven volunteer-staffed firehouses in the township.

“The women in fire service here (in Deptford) represent about 10% of our volunteers,” said township Fire Chief Richard Thomas. “Some of them do just as well as the men, if not better.

The showcase is an opportunity for Deptford to draw female recruits and a video of the event will be posted at a later date by the Communications Solutions Group to help spread that message.

“The purpose of this is to help with recruitment,” said Blackwood Terrace Battalion Chief Jason Kell. “To show that it’s not just for males, it’s for females as well.”

The recruitment effort includes drawing fire cadets from 12 to 18 years old.

Among those at the Blackwood Terrace event were two of its fire volunteers, Greg and Debbie Thielen, and their two kids, Zach and Megan, who are also part of the department. Debbie – a volunteer for more than 40 years – wore her gear to the showcase.

“Volunteering is a great way to make lifelong friends that feel like family and socialize while you do something you can feel good about,” she noted.

Those interested in joining the Deptford fire department – male and female – can do so by filling out an inquiry form online at www.deptfordfd.org.

“We treat everybody the same,” said Kell, “and we’re basically just one big family, whether we’re in this house (Blackwood Terrace) or any of the other seven houses that we have in the department.”