THUNDER BAY -- Thunder Bay Fire Rescue is no longer an all-boy's club.
The city's first two female firefighters are among the graduating class of six new recruits.
Stephanie Drost and Ceilidh Boyd will be welcomed to the fold on Saturday morning.
The ceremony will be held at the fire training centre.
Until now, none of the female applicants over the years have managed to pass every stage of the hiring process, which starts with a written exam, and then moves to a physical test, a skills test, and a strength test, with an aggregate score determining the successful applicants.
They then have to complete a full training regimen before the final decision is made.
Thunder Bay Fire Rescue Chief John Hay said this graduating class, including the two women, really shone through from a large group of applicants. It's a big day, he acknowledged.
“We are happy to tell everybody that the first two females have made it through recruitment and through training, and we look forward to them being on the trucks next week,” Hay said.
“We are especially happy that we are able to diversify our work force a little bit, but the standards are the standards and they all made the standard, which is very important to us.”
The City of Toronto currently has 67 female firefighters, Sudbury has two and Timmins has one.
Sault Saint Marie and North Bay have each had female firefighters in the past, and now Thunder Bay will join that list.
(TBT News)
