Women test their endurance, strength and spirit for a firefighting career

A group of women put their physical and mental strength to the test Saturday at the Los Angeles County Fire Department's training center in East Los Angeles.

Push-ups, pull-ups, agility and strength drills as well as working with firefighter tools and equipment are all part of the six-day series put on by the department's Women's Fire Prep Academy.

Founded seven years ago, the WFPA was formed to expose more women, 18 years and up, to the firefighting profession, and to show them, hands-on, what to expect in the Los Angeles county Fire Department Recruit Academy.

Saturday, March 4 is the first of six consecutive Saturdays offering the preparation training. This first Saturday is the assessment of the trainees, where the department firefighters conducting the class will determine who moves on to the next five weeks.

Trainee Caitlyn said at Saturday's first session that she absolutely wants to be a firefighter. "The physical part is really fun, it's definitely a challenge but it's something I'm willing to put everything towards and work really hard for. It was fun to see all of the girls work as hard as they can and see the process everybody has gone through," she said.

At the end of the five weeks, participants graduate and walk away with a better sense of the fundamental responsibilities of what it means to be a firefighter and with it takes to join the profession.

As of Jan. 2020, the National Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that nationwide about 3.5% of all firefighters were women in 2019.

In the neighboring Los Angeles Fire Department, Kristin M. Crowley became the first female department fire chief in March 2022.