Local Women Firefighters Talk About Experience in the Field

Carli Rinker and Bobbi Beers of Friendship Fire Company, and Shelby Aurandt and Beth Eastep of Williamsburg Volunteer Fire Department are area women firefighters who attended Cambria County Regional Firefighter's Association's first ever Ladies Academy in September.

Beers has been around the fire company in Roaring Spring since she was 16, serving many roles as an auxiliary and support member.

Then about 15 years ago she started going on calls and began taking firefighting classes.

About two years ago, she took an essentials class with her grandson, and then did her firefighter one and two classes.

"If it was not for a lot of support from family and the company, I would not have taken the classes that I did," Beers said.

Rinker joined the Friendship Fire Company when she was 18, and has been there for about 21 years.

She started out as an auxiliary member helping out with fundraisers and held a few board positions.

Last year she started running calls.

"My 15-year-old daughter joined as a junior member last year, and wanted me to get gear so I could run with her," she said.

Rinker started doing her essentials training classes with her daughter last year.

"She went as far as she could go for her age, and I am finishing my essentials by the end of the year," she said.

Eastep of Williamsburg started out as an EMT and over time decided to become more involved with the fire department.

"I was here all the time and thought I might as well get into the fire side," she said.

Aurandt said the shows she watched on television inspired her to be a firefighter.

"I thought it seemed really cool and I wanted to do it," she said

Aurandt said she enjoys helping people as a firefighter.

"Outside of firefighting I try to help people whenever I can, so that is one of the big things I like," she said.

Beers and Rinker both said without the support of Friendship Fire Chief James Musselman and the other officers they would not have gone as far as they did.

When Beers first joined 42 years ago, the few women in the company were a part of the auxiliary.

"We had a chief at the time who said the fire service was no place for women," she said. "I didn't have gear, I wasn't allowed to have it."

Then they eventually got a chief who allowed Beers to have gear.

Beers said about four years ago she was not able to climb the ladder.

"I did not do it, I would not do it, I'm afraid of heights," she said. "I did it one step at a time."

Then, during her essentials class, the instructor had Beers climb a ladder.

"We have girls that go fight fires, sometimes I'll do that, and sometimes I'll just drive," she said. "It depends on the situation and the type of call."

Rinker said while on the scene, they may be doing multiple jobs.

"There are times when you will be fighting the fire from the exterior or the interior," said said, "Sometimes you may only be scene support."

When they attended the two-day training event in Cambria County, the first day was a refresher course and on the second day they did a live burn training.

Here they learned about hose advancement, hydrant hookups, ladders, and did mazes.

"The maze is where we put our breathing apparatus on and you crawl through that," Beers said.

She said while a lot of the training was a refresher, she did learn some new things.

"A lot of the girls there were younger than me and did things differently than I do," Beers said. "I'm old- school sometimes, and I have had to learn to adapt to things differently than what I'm used to doing."

Rinker said the training will now be an annual event, and Beers said they are looking at the next one happening in the spring.

For those who are interested in joining the fire company, Beers and Rinker recommended stopping in to talk to someone and look around.

"It is a way to help people, serve the community, and it gives kids something to do that is also a learning experience," Beers said.

She said while there is always something to do, she would never change it.

Rinker said they are always looking for new people, and would like to see the younger generation step up.

Eastep said to join the station in Williamsburg there is no formal training required, but it depends on what a person wants to do in the fire company.

"If you want to work up to doing interior burns and going into fire, you have to go through the essentials program," Eastep said.

There are also state certification levels one and two, and many other training sessions to be able to do other things in the fire company.

Eastep has her state level one fire certificate and Audrandt has up to the interior training.

"The fact that we are all volunteers here, I think speaks volumes to a lot of fire companies because we are not paid to do this," she said. "We do this because we have the heart for it. We want to help our communities in any way that we can."

Eastep said they didn't have to go to the women's training in Cambria County but thought that it would be advantageous. Aurandt said she learned a lot at the training.

"It proved that I am capable of something even when I feel I can't," she said. "There they had a tunnel that you have to go in and go up and downstairs when it is pitch black. Knowing that I can do it and doing that is a big confidence booster."

Eastep said she is on the shorter side but having other team members who respect her to let her try and willing to help out is a great form of support.

"They are not telling me I can't do that," she said. "They are going to let me have a good effort first."

Eastep said that height has its benefits.

"Because I'm shorter, I can fit into smaller spaces," she said. "We can send Shelby into these tighter places."

Aurandt said her favorite thing to do on the scene of a fire is going up the ladders.

"Whenever we do training or fire, I want to be the first one up the ladder," she said.

Eastep is also on their swift water rescue team.

"Thankfully, we haven't had those kinds of emergencies but the training we have done has been so exhilarating," she said.

Eastep said she has a love for EMS and patient care.

"If we were up on a scene, I have no problem saying, 'I got the patient,'" Eastep said.

They both recognize that firefighting is a male dominated profession but said there is some playful banter.

"These guys have learned, they don't hold anything back," Eastep said. "They know we may be women but we are going to fire it right back at them."

When Eastep decided to do her first firefighter one training, she was the first woman in company history to achieve that.

Her advice to other women who are considering joining a fire company is to not be afraid.