On the Line: Women Firefighters Tell Their Stories

by Linda Frances Willing

Most people have never met a woman firefighter, yet women have been fighting fires and providing emergency service for hundreds of years. This book tells the history of women in the fire service, and profiles more than 35 women who serve as firefighters in the United States and Canada, from career members of the largest fire departments to volunteers with organizations of only a dozen members. The women in this book share their best responding to the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11, handling emergency medical calls that may range from the tragic to the ridiculous, living in the fire station, overcoming obstacles. The women featured are as diverse as the job itself, but all share one thing-- their love and commitment to a life of service as a firefighter.

176 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 2011

Reviews

[Marina Morgera]

This book is amazing. I love how many different perspectives were shared. Being a female firefighter in the year 2024 is much different than when all of these women began firefighting. It is still a male dominant job and that can be challenging, but I couldn’t imagine doing it when these women did it. It taught me a lot about, my own career and experience.

[MyImpossibleList]

The stories in this book are great. I understood how hard it was for women firefighters before the 2000, and after 9/11 in 2001. Very interesting book. I found some good quotes.

[Bookcat88]

Willing's book is an interesting look at women working in a male-dominated job. The author is a credible source with a solid career background in the fire service. The book focuses on the stories and experiences of a number of women working in various US fire departments, their challenges, attitudes, and experiences as trail blazers in a profession mired in tradition.