Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Fire Medical

 

TO:

David Corliss, Interim City Manager

Debbie Van Saun, Assistant City Manager

 

FROM:

Mark Bradford, Chief

 

Date:

July 11, 2006

 

RE:

Female Firefighter Recruitment and Retention

 

According to a 2005 survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women account for about 3.3% of the 243,000 career firefighters working in the United States.  Lawrence–Douglas County Fire Medical Department’s percentage of female firefighters is higher than the national average: women account for 5.0% of the 141 career firefighters working in the department. 

LAWRENCE-DOUGLAS COUNTY FIRE MEDICAL STATISTICS

Name

Rank

Date Hired

Years of Service

Elkins, Kathy

Lieutenant/EMT-I

3/17/1986

20

Engleman, Lexie

Captain/EMT-I

6/19/1981

25

Glotzbach, Karen

Engineer/MICT

10/31/2001

5

Herd, Sandra

Captain/MICT

1/26/1987

19

Saturday, Tiffany

Firefighter/MICT

12/16/2005

0.5

Tolefree, Eve

Captain/MICT

2/3/1986

20

Warren, Melissa

Firefighter

2/22/1991

15

Average years of service

 

 

15

 

Male

Female

% Female

Total # of supervisors

35

4

10%

Chiefs

8

0

0.0%

Captains

15

3

20.0%

Lieutenants

16

1

6.3%

Number of females who are supervisors

 

4

57%

Number of firefighters

134

7

5.0%

 

Staff from the Fire/Medical Department will be working in the upcoming months to continue development of effective recruiting measures aimed at maintaining/increasing the number of females and minorities within the firefighter and supervisory ranks.