By FireRescue1 Staff
LONDON — For London’s new fire brigade commissioner Dany Cotton, being a firefighter does not mean being a “six foot hairy-arsed man.”
Although Cotton, now 47, is the brigade’s first female commissioner in its 151-year history, she has served the department since she was 18. She oversees 102 fire stations, 4,800 uniformed firefighters and 800 other personnel.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Cotton shared her views on women in firefighting and the importance of challenging the stereotype that the service is for macho men.
Cotton said she joined the brigade after seeing an advertisement, a move that panicked her parents, who were concerned she would face heavy harassment and bullying.
“I was 18 and I had no concept that women couldn’t or shouldn’t do anything,” Cotton told the publication. “I came from a family with strong matriarchs, as East End grandmother was one, and I simple had the view, ‘Why can’t I?’”
In 1988, Cotton was one of three women in her graduating class. She said since her time at the brigade, she has witnessed the push-and-pull fire leaders experience in tackling sexism in the service.
“The management was clearly under pressure to change the force but the people under them were definitely not prepared for change,” she said. “This issue for some is that if a woman can do the job, then it isn’t the big hero job it was. It de-machos their role.”
Cotton said she intends to tackle sexism surrounding the fire service and create more opportunities for women.
“I think women make great firefighters,” Cotton said. “We have to change that perception of a six foot hairy-arsed bloke who can kick a door down.”