By Dev Meyers
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
WILKINS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — When Mary Beth Bowler was elected leader of Wilkins Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 4, she joined an elite group of female fire chiefs in the United States.
She also became part of an even smaller fire fraternity — spouses as successors to the chief.
“I think I may be the first female chief in this area,” said Ms. Bowler, 49.
One of three volunteer companies in Wilkins, No 4. has 25 members, 18 of whom are active firefighters — three women, 15 men. They met at the beginning of December to elect Ms. Bowler the new chief.
Ms. Bowler succeeded her husband, Bill McElheny, who was chief for 12 years. She had served as assistant chief the previous 71/2 years.
The current assistant chief is Brian Onderick. Mr. McElheny serves on the line as a firefighter.
Ms. Bowler was introduced to firefighting 20 years ago, when she was an emergency medical technician. The volunteer medical technicians were cross-trained in firefighting.
Although Ms. Bowler joins the ranks of San Francisco Chief Joanne Hayes-White and San Diego Chief Tracy Jarman, she does not join their ranks in pay. Ms. Jarman’s salary is $165,000. No Wilkins firefighter or fire official is paid.
Ms. Bowler relies on her day job, as a grants administrator in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, where she has worked for 29 years.
“The Volunteer Fire Department saves the taxpayers of Wilkins Township $1.5 million per year,” Ms. Bowler said. The department serves about 8,000 households.
“I live in Eastmont. If my taxes stay low because of what I do to volunteer, that helps me out.”
She paused.
“When we go on a fire, people think we are being paid,” Ms. Bowler said. “We say, ‘No, we do this for free.’
“It is nice when people say ‘Thank you. Thanks so much for coming.’ ”
When asked why there are so few female firefighters, Ms. Bowler said: “It is such a physical job,” noting that firefighting has always been a male-dominated profession.
“The bunker gear and air packs weigh about 75 pounds,” she said. “That is a lot of weight to add to your clothing. It is heavier than a normal woman’s purse.”
Firefighters refer to the outer protective clothing they wear as “bunker gear” because pants and boots are traditionally kept near a firefighter’s bunk at the fire station.
Bureau of Labor statistics for 2006 indicate that of 288,000 professional firefighters in the United States, 5,300 are women.
Gayle Kelch, a spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was quick to point out that those figures do not include volunteer firefighters.
Maureen McFadden, 60, of New York, the public information officer for the International Association of Women in the Fire & Emergency Service, said 3.3 percent of paid firefighters are women. She said statistics are not available for volunteers.
Asked about those numbers, Ms. McFadden said: “Traditionally, men become firefighters because they were exposed as children to firefighting equipment by their dads and uncles. These jobs tend to run in families.
“Young women have not seen their mothers and aunts on fire trucks, so they don’t think of it as an option.”
The Wilkins fire department’s service area includes Sears and Penn Center. It also is responsible for car accidents on Business Route 22 and a portion of the Parkway East.
This region is served through a mutual aid company that includes fire companies in Monroeville, Churchill and Penn Hills.
Wilkins’ firefighters are governed by bylaws and guidelines. They receive basic training classes at the Allegheny Fire Academy. Ongoing drills take place every Thursday night. Active firefighters are required to attend at least 25 percent of the drills.
Ms. Bowler said it is getting harder to attract qualified volunteers.
“Some people have to work one, two or three jobs,” she said. “We need people to help out.
“We have to get up in the middle of the night to respond to a fire and still go to a normal job the next morning.”
Asked whether she will be a volunteer firefighter for another 20 years, Ms. Bowler laughed and said she would do it for a while longer.
“It gets into your blood. You realize that people need the help, and if you aren’t there, who is going to be there?”