8th International Fire Service Women's Conference in Los Angeles


With the beat of drums and a procession of the flags of the nations, "Envision the Future," the 8th International Conference of Fire Service Women, got underway in Los Angeles. More than 400 women and men ­ attendees, faculty, staff, planners and support personnel ­ were on hand February 24-28, 1999, to make the event a success.

The word "international" in the title of WFS' conferences has grown in meaning over the years and is no idle boast. Fire service personnel of all ranks and functions came from the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Scotland, the Netherlands, Germany, South Africa, Australia and Japan to this year's conference, showing more than anything else the common ground shared by women firefighters everywhere.

The Los Angeles conference was conceived and carried out on a much grander scale than any previous WFS conference, largely thanks to the creative ideas and hard work of the conference committee. Co-chairs Michelle Banks, Alicia Mathis, and Susan Jensen, along with Isabel Rosas, Roxanne Bercik, and their 40+ colleagues on the committee worked for well over a year on this huge project. The multi-jurisdictional committee combined the efforts, talent, and support of many southern California fire agencies. Particular thanks are due L.A. City Fire Chief Bill Bamattre, who threw his department's backing squarely behind the conference from the beginning: not just in word but in numerous deeds, including personnel, marketing, logistical and technical support.

The conference events actually began a day before the opening ceremonies, with a day of pre-conference seminars and fire department tours. The Beverly Hills Fire Department hosted a luncheon and tour for nearly a hundred attendees, while the Los Angeles Fire Department tour, organized and run by Captain Michele Kämmerer, was also a big hit. Participants in the LAFD tour were treated to a fireboat cruise and a view of a helicopter water drop as part of the day's highlights.

On Thursday morning, the conference officially began with the traditional opening ceremony, kicked off by a performance of Japanese taiko drumming by Koshin Taiko, a local group of Japanese-American women and men. Their colorful costumes, acrobatic drumming, and compelling beat riveted everyone's attention and drew strong applause from an appreciative audience.

After warm welcomes from the WFS leadership, conference chairs, and a number of local dignitaries, U.S. Fire Administrator Carrye Brown addressed the gathering, the first time the head of the USFA has attended a WFS conference. Ms. Brown was followed by the keynote speakers, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, owners of three of Los Angeles' most popular restaurants. Best known through their television series, "Too Hot Tamales," Milliken and Feniger broke into the male-dominated chef and restaurant business twenty years ago. Discussing their career paths and relating their experiences to those of women firefighters, they entertained the audience with their offbeat ­ and sometimes off-the-wall ­ humor.

Group photo taken on the first day of the conference

Workshops

The core of the conference was its extensive program of workshops. Among the most popular was "Taking Initial Command of Structural Fires," presented by Lt. Katherine Ridenhour (Aurora, Colorado, F.D.), Lt. Angela Cook (Denver F.D.), and Firefighter/Paramedic Jodi Nolet (Aurora F.D.) They presented both a full-day pre-conference seminar and a four-hour conference workshop using a digital simulator, interactive sound bytes and portable radios to run fireground simulations. This workshop was repeated from last year's Leadership Training Seminar, based on the high marks it got there, and attendees in Los Angeles found it equally valuable.

Other notable and well-received program offerings included Dr. John DeHaan's pre-conference seminar on structural fire investigation, Doug and Leanne Campbell's three-hour session, "Wildland Fire Behavior: the Campbell Prediction System," "The Fire Service in High-Risk Neighborhoods" by LAFD Captains Kwamé Cooper and Brent F. Burton, and the "Tools for Tolerance" program held at Los Angeles' Museum of Tolerance. Linda Willing's workshops and pre-conference seminars ­ Command Presence, Creative Confrontation" and Leadership Roles in Conflict Resolution ­ received rave reviews as always, and we are grateful to Lt. Willing for having presented four workshop sessions during the conference, twice as many as we asked of any other faculty member.

Many thanks to the City of Los Angeles for its generosity in providing a $10,000 grant that helped make this conference possible.


Fire Recruit Expo '99

The brainchild of conference co-chair Alicia Mathis, this firefighter recruitment fair was held on the first day of the conference. More than 500 people came to talk with recruiters from twenty fire departments and governmental fire management agencies, as well as to experience a taste of the camaraderie of women firefighters attending the conference.

It was encouraging to see so many young women interested in pursuing firefighting and fire management careers. The large room in which the exposition was held was buzzing with activity most of the day, and recruiters were able to make contact with many potential applicants. A workshop on job interview skills was also presented, which drew so much interest that it was extended to nearly double its scheduled one-hour length in order to accommodate attendees' questions and comments.

The success of Recruit Expo '99 had much to do with the hard work of Alicia Mathis and others involved in getting the word out to both recruiters and candidates. It proved to be an excellent addition to WFS conferences, and we hope to repeat it in the future.

On the social side

A wide range of social events was offered in connection with the conference: an afternoon at the exciting new Getty Center, a spectacular set of art museums and institutes atop a hill overlooking the city; a visit to the African-American Firefighters' Museum; a chance to learn surfing from a female professional surfer; and an evening at the Santa Monica Pier, at Universal CityWalk, or amid the nightlife of West Hollywood. Buses generously provided by the City of Santa Monica gave attendees free transportation to and from these sites, putting the big city of L.A. within easy reach.

The Wilshire Grand Hotel was an excellent conference site. The service provided by its staff was generally excellent, and for once we received more compliments than complaints about the food. Conference committee member Isabel Rosas is to be complimented, and thanked, for her ongoing work as hotel liaison that kept things there running smoothly.

The conference closing ceremony on Sunday morning was emotional, as always. WFS Board President Freda Bailey-Murray and Secretary Kathy Benson announced their upcoming retirement from the Board of Trustees: both have decided not to seek an additional term. Freda has been on the Board for six years and has been its president for the past two; KB has served for nine years ­ longer than any other trustee in the history of the organization ­ and has been its secretary or secretary-treasurer for most of that time. We will miss their energy and hard work, their sense of humor, and certainly their depth of experience in the fire service and with WFS. Also acknowledged was Battalion Chief Judith Brewer (Arlington County, Va., F.D.) and other women who will be retiring from the fire service before the next conference. The conference committee, and particularly its chairs, were thanked for their efforts and given gifts from the WFS Board of Trustees. And, finally, Koshin Taiko returned to close out the session in high and dramatic style.

What our attendees told us

"This was my third WFS conference (and) was truly the best one. It was so professional."

"It's hard to narrow down what I enjoyed most! The workshops were really valuable and well-instructed; several I attended were excellent. The opening session with all the uniforms was inspirational, and the final night was so much fun."

"The lectures and the tours were great. But the information gained from other attendees was invaluable."

"Excellent balance of fun activities to choose from as well as workshops. Some fun + some work = a good balance. Networking is the most important aspect."

"The most valuable part of the conference was being among strong women and their desire to prevail! I found again the pride I had when I was first hired."

"Networking! The focus groups were excellent. I also liked the sessions dealing with issues any firefighter can use, whether they're doing structural, wildland, EMS, or whatever. I really noticed and appreciated the effort WFS took at this conference to include wildland firefighters and make them feel welcome at a primarily structural event. Thanks!"

"The conference is healing for me."

"Most valuable was the togetherness of all ranks of firefighters ­ no one felt ill at ease."

"I appreciated the networking, the wide range of choices of workshops, small workshop groups that enabled interactive discussion, and the inspirational speakers in the opening ceremony ­ very emotional as I realized I am not alone!!"

"It was great to meet and talk with female firefighters from all over the world. Everything was valuable for me, but the most valuable was to talk with others and learn how they do things."

"Most important was the renewal and 'battery recharge' that is gained from networking and from being around others like myself, that I miss as the only woman at my department. Plus, the courses I attended were excellent and valuable. I wish we could have the conference every year!"

Thanks to attendees' comments in the "do-better" section of the evaluation form, we were able to identify problem areas we had not been aware of, and received many good suggestions for improving the conference in the future. Like other such events, our conference is always a work in progress, and we will continue to try to make it better each time. We sincerely appreciate the input that allows us to do this.

"Other fire service conferences just aren't like this. They don't have the 'Kumbaya' feeling this one does."

Final notes

Donna Griggs, a member of the conference committee who was scheduled to present a workshop and a demonstration, as well as running the child care during the conference, was involved in a car crash shortly before the conference started. She spent the conference in intensive care in a local hospital, and was unable to see any of the event she had helped work to bring about. WFS would also like to thank Gwen Duyao for stepping in at the last minute to take Donna's place in providing excellent child care so moms, dads, and other caretakers could attend the conference.


This article originally appeared in the March 1999 issue of Firework. It is copyright © 1999 Women in the Fire Service, Inc., and may not be reprinted without permission.

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