These firefighting women made history in St. John's with the first all-female shift

Alex Kennedy · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 15, 2025 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 15

A caller displacement astatine the St. John's Regional Fire Department had conscionable astir everything a firefighter could inquire for, but the radical of 8 women connected platform astatine Kent's Pond Station had a small added significance.

The displacement marked the archetypal clip successful the 130-year past of the section that an all-female unit deployed together.

It was a imagination realized for Capt. Gina Burke, who was the archetypal pistillate successful the occurrence section successful 1992.

"We're starting to get to a constituent present wherever we person capable girls that we'd beryllium capable to antheral a station, and we conscionable started determination and the shot conscionable kept rolling," Burke told CBC News.

"I get goosebumps erstwhile I deliberation astir it. The lone regret I would person is that I ne'er got to bash it longer."

Burke plans to discontinue aft 33 years connected the occupation successful January, and said it was a peculiar feeling to spot the displacement made a reality.

Jen Jenkins, 1 of the firefighters connected work that day, called it an unreal afternoon. 

"I wasn't definite if we were going to get there, but each azygous twelvemonth determination was much and much females hired. And it yet happened," she said.

"It was everything that we wanted it to be. Like the girls said, it was ace busy. We got calls from aesculapian calls to alarm bells, successful the evening we had a operation fire … and I deliberation we nailed it."

WATCH | Firefighters accidental the all-female displacement was a imagination travel true: 

Burke said she couldn't person been prouder implicit the crew's response, adding she knew everyone would beryllium successful harmless hands.

"As soon arsenic the girls got disconnected the truck, I knew we were solid," she said. "They conscionable outperformed a large percent of the men successful the job, they gave much than I would adjacent inquire for and I conscionable person specified a feeling of pride. It's unexplainable."

For firefighters similar Melanie Barnes, the displacement was an accidental to showcase what women tin execute successful a male-dominated field.

"Women person truthful overmuch strength, and I deliberation that is overlooked successful a batch of male-dominated roles," she said.

 "I deliberation the camaraderie was truly determination for us. We're truthful utilized to moving [in] a male-dominated tract that showing up to enactment that time and coming successful here, and the smiles and conscionable thing wholly caller for us, the camaraderie was the champion portion astir it."

Lt. Wendy Young said — justified oregon not — women successful firefighting mightiness consciousness the request to beryllium themselves much than men. But Sunday's displacement showed the aboriginal is agleam for women successful the field.

"The acquisition was from 33 [years] with the captain, down to a marque caller enlistee who conscionable got full-time who had a twelvemonth experience," Brown said.

"Normally erstwhile you look around, you spot males. So it was nice. Everybody had their ain task that they had to bash and wide it was conscionable a good, affirmative feeling."

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