The equipment and gear we wear and carry weighs the same regardless of what size we are. This is also the case for load bearing ability. For example, women tend to have smaller hands, yet the gloves firefighters all wear are the same thickness, regardless of size.Ĭonsequently, smaller hands have to develop more grip strength to handle the equipment. This affects our grip, load bearing ability, and force production. Women tend to be smaller in stature and have a tougher time gaining upper body strength than our male counterparts. This is especially true for women entering non-traditional fields. Pavel has stated that gains in grip, abdominal strength, and glute strength would have the greatest carryover to overall strength. All of this requires a body that is not only all-over strong, but can use its strength effectively, especially in awkward positions. Most fitness programs just don’t prepare you for that, let alone lifting a patient that has slipped and fallen getting out of the shower and is now wedged between the tub and the toilet. In my job, I’ve faced such challenges as hiking up a stairwell of a high-rise wearing 75lbs of personal gear and carrying an additional 90lbs of equipment. When I was training to get in shape for the fire academy, few strength training programs addressed the real world demands of the job, and none addressed the specific considerations of women entering this field. Therefore, for me the definition of a strong woman is synonymous with that of a capable woman. All they care about is whether I can get the job done. When the bell sounds, my coworkers don’t care if I’m strong “for a woman” or how much weight I can throw up in the weight room.
In firefighting, there is no “gender norming” at an emergency scene. As a firefighter, I work in a field that is 95% male.
While I have a reputation of being a decently strong woman, this was not the initial goal in my training.
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