Women firefighters in Kalyan break new barriers | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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Women firefighters in Kalyan break new barriers

By, Kalyan
Jul 22, 2022 09:51 PM IST

Women firefighters will serve the twin cities of Kalyan and Dombivli, dealing with disasters like tree fall, fire, building collapse and rescue operations

The twin cities of Kalyan and Dombivli will now have 15 women firefighters to deal with disasters like tree fall, fire, building collapse and rescue operations.

Women firefighters appointed by the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation. (PRAMOD TAMBE/HT PHOTO)
Women firefighters appointed by the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation. (PRAMOD TAMBE/HT PHOTO)

The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has enrolled the 15 fire fighters in their squad recently on a contract basis. This is the first time that the KDMC has enrolled women as firefighters.

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Sonal Gengaje, 27, had answered a random advertisement for the application of firewoman while she was still pursuing her education. She was selected for the training and also worked in Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation from August 2021. During the same time, she saved a 13-year-old girl stuck in the bathroom of a building that collapsed in the city. This was what motivated her to pursue the profession and has now joined the KDMC fire squad.

“There are incidents that can be dealt with better by a woman than a man. As a woman, I could enter the bathroom and save the girl, something that would have been difficult for a man. There are many such incidents involving children or older people that we can handle better.”

She said that her batchmates were surprised when she applied for the fire training as most of them did not know women could pursue such a career.

“I had responded to the advertisement merely to give it a try. My friends were surprised that I was applying for the job of a firewoman, but now they respect the work I do.”

Gengaje also faced familial pressure as her parents believed such risk-taking jobs are not for women, but that too has changed now, she added.

“When I had applied, there were merely 30 women in the batch. This year, the number has increased to 60. We are gradually removing this divide between genders in such fields too.”

Another firewoman, Sneha Jagtap, 25, a sports teacher from Titwala, took up the job merely to prove to the world that there was nothing a woman cannot achieve.

“We were trained in the same batch as men, so we can do all kinds of rescue work. This is my first job as a firewoman and I have been attending various calls since the onset of monsoon. My family is proud that I am helping to save lives.”

KDMC fire department had insufficient manpower and was trying to fill several vacant posts for a long time. Jagtap added, “I saw the advertisement and thought of giving it a go without thinking twice. I hope we can set a better example for other women to think of this as a career choice.”

The fire department was waiting for the government to deploy manpower but later decided to hire its own since additional staff would be required in monsoon to deal with various disasters.

Chief fire officer of KDMC, Namdeo Chaudhari, said, “There has been a shortage of staff for a long time and were waiting for the government to deploy manpower. We decided to hire these 15 women as firefighters and it is a major relief as they have started attending several calls. We now have 250 personnel, which is sufficient for the city.”

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