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A few months ago, BigBrother was given some old firefighting books by a local teacher who is also a family friend. The school’s library was cleaning out old books and was simply going to toss them if no one took claim. My teacher friend spotted these titles and snatched them up. BigBrother was happy to receive these antiques. Or, should I say, antiquated? Because, oh, my feminist button.
The True Book of Policemen and Firemen by Irene Miner was written/published in 1954. For the most part, the book has some regular, factual information on both the police and fire departments. You know: police officers wear badges and firefighters drive trucks. Nothing that we haven’t read in the many (many) other fire books we own. But near the beginning of this gem is a page that made my hair stand on end. FireDad was actually reading this book to BigBrother the first time, looked at me as he finished the sentence and just laughed. And laughed. He knows me too well.
The offense?
That’s right. Policemen and firemen are not just big strong men. They are BIG STRONG MEN!
Prior to that page, neither of us had checked the publication date. FireDad flipped back to the front of the book and found the date of 1954. Put in that context, we were able to laugh a little bit and explain to BigBrother that women are also police officers and firefighters today. He didn’t seem to notice my slightly crazy eye or FireDad’s smirk.
We didn’t know where the next two books would go then… but we read them all the same. What It’s Like to Be a Fireman by Arthur Shay was published in 1971. (Of note: this book has a dedication that touched my heart. It reads: This book is for those firemen who have fallen so that our homes and cities might stand.) It’s a look at Dan the fireman and his day at work. While this book doesn’t mention firefighting as a male only field, it also shows no women. At all. On any page. In fact, most of the time, his crew is referred to simply as “the men.” The historical sexism is not as blatantly obvious but, oh, it’s there!
Fire Fighters by Rhoda Blumberg was published in 1976. (Also, note that the first and third were written by females. Interesting.) Apparently by 1976, the world of firefighting has seen a change. This paragraph says it all:
Women Fire Fighters
Until a few years ago, fire fighting was for men only. Times have changed. Now women, too, are fire fighters. There are just a few women fire fighters now, but each year there will be more and more. Of course, women must train and pass the same tests as men.
In fact, yes, there are lots of women in the fire service. And there have been for longer than any of these three books are giving credit. Just take a look at the International Association of Women in Fire & Emergency Services. Their history page gives a fabulous rundown of women in fire service. Interesting that not one of thse books mentioned the women who entered the volunteer fire service during World War II to take place of those (men) who had been called to duty. Even a mention of Molly Williams, a slave who joined the Oceanus Fire Company in 1815 would have sufficed! Of course, these three books, with the focus on professional firefighting, are likely talking about how women didn’t join a career fire department until just after the second book was published.
In brief: in 1973 and 1974 the first two paid female firefighters joined departments in North Carolina and Virginia. Sandra Forcier was initially hired in July of 1973 as a Public Safety Officer while Judith Livers was hired the next March as the first ever full-on female firefighter. These two women went on to serve full careers (likely fighting battles within their own departments) and retired with a rank of battalion chief. Makes me feel all empowered!
I get that the books were likely talking about these two trailblazing career firefighters. But it rubs me the wrong way that books, two written by women no less, totally ignored the history that women helped create prior to actually being paid to do the job. One might argue that speaks to the issues that exist, ego-wise, between volunteer and professional departments but history is history.
And so the question remains: do we get rid of these books? The answer is no. First of all, unless a book really offends me, I rarely “get rid of it.” These books, however, are going to remain in our library as a look at how far we’ve come. Sure, I’m raising boys. But their mother wants them to understand not just the historical aspect of women and their fight for equality but how it applies to them today. And that women don’t have to wear special and/or pink uniforms. And, of course, we have current books like Fred the Firefighter (among others) that show and talk about female firefighters.
And a mother who will never let them forget to respect women. Ahem.
15 Responses to “Old Firefighting Books & My Feminist Button”
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You go girl! Your boys will be better men because of it.
Andys last blog post..What’s in your bathtub?
There are so many older books that I love, but make me twitch when I read them to my sons. Classic sexism, how fun! LOL
Summers last blog post..The 4 year Old Is Reading
People often think that it is only mothers of daughters that have to pay attention to these things but it is equally important that my son respect women as it is that my daughter respect herself
Upstatemomof3s last blog post..I Had Already Seen Her Heartbeat
[...] wrote about how these old firefighting books pressed my buttons over on the family blog. And I did actually take some other pictures today but this one struck my eye the most. I love [...]
This stuff seeps into our kids’ brains too. Well, books and comments by sexists they know! I’ve had to correct Nate more than once that women can be: construction workers, fire fighters, and police officers. ARGH!!
Judys last blog post..No Day But Today
A few things that I have noticed.
In the few years since I started attending the Firehouse Expo in Baltimore every year is the number of female firefighters growing at an amazing rate.
Not everywhere even today has this reality been accepted as I still hear plenty of “old timers” complaining about it.
“History” is all about perspective. While volunteer firefighters do the same work, save the same people and buildings and die in fires just as much as career ones, firefighters are a “brotherhood” and some of these brotherhoods do not accept volunteers as “real.” They sort of think of them like people in the army, marines think of the Coast Guard, in that they are “playing” firefighter rather than “being” firefighters.
JayMonsters last blog post..Review: Asus EeePC 904HA Netbook
[...] am I here and what am I doing while I am here? Obviously, I am raising two boys to understand and respect women. I do understand that as a purpose in my life. To raise them to be respectful, well-rounded, [...]
Someday your daughters-in-law will be grateful that you raised your sons to respect women. Kudos!
I was ROFL at the CAPS LOCK description from the first book. It’s hard to fathom that such pervasive sexism existed in our country not so long ago.
What’s even harder to fathom is that there are still people out there who think this way.
Keep fighting the good fight, Mama! Your boys will be better men for it.
Cocos last blog post..Photo Op Thursday
Isn’t it crazy that our mothers grew up being taught that stuff? I can’t even imagine living with accepted sexism and racism as our parents did.
Susan (5 Minutes for Mom)s last blog post..About That Cake…
Good for you! I’ve done the same with books: kept them for the historical value and to educate my kiddos not to take progress for granted. Yes, I’m one of the 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling. And (are you ready for this?) I’ve actually seen and read the first two books you mentioned!
Daisys last blog post..To-Do list fights with Ta-Dah!! list
have you ever read nancy drews that we grew up on? And hardy boys? Some of them are SERIOUSLY racist. But i love love books and thats not the part im teaching my child, i wont be not reading nancy drews for that, but it just shares how times have evolved.
trisha
momdot.com
HA! I love these old books! My hubby has old Playboys that have the cigarette ads in them and I love them.
P.S. I found you through MomDot.Com and can’t wait to read more!
SuZs last blog post..Keep It To Yourself, Please
Great post! Found you through MomDot.
My Mom always made an effort to point out where books (or tv, or movies, or whatever) were wrong. Not only did she teach us valuable lessons about equality, but she taught us not to believe everything we read!
Keelys last blog post..A wine whine and some other drugs: Random Tuesday Thoughts
Firemom, have you not considered the phrase carefully? It is actually very very correct – fireMEN and policeMEN are big strong MEN! what you can then say to the baby firemen is that fireWOMEN and policeWOMEN are big strong WOMEN too!
Personally, as a woman who’s worked in a male dominated industry for the last 20 odd years I can categorially say that I dont give two hoots about sexism – let ‘em believe what they want, I know the truth and when fluttering my eyelashes will use my stilletoes on their ‘privates’…..