Community Stories

Barbara (Bonnie) Beers became the first woman firefighter for the Seattle Fire Department in 1977. As the very first woman firefighter, Beers paved the way for subsequent generations of women, like the young women who participate in the annual Camp Blaze firecamp, to consider careers in fire. Now retired, Battalion Chief Beers reflects on her thirty year career while other women firefighters, including Seattle Fire Department Assistant Chief Susan Rosenthal, firefighter Melissa Woolsey, also discuss their careers in fire, how the competitiveness and perceptions of women in fire have changed, and how the next generation will achieve their goals.