By FireRescue1 Staff
GROVELAND, Mass. — The Groveland Fire Department will welcome its newest class of firefighter recruits — all of whom are women.
Joining the 32-member staff are Aylssa Bosch, Lisa Evans, Jennifer Hicks, Courtney Panaro and Megan Shea.
The department said four of the women will attend the fire academy this fall; two of the women will work alongside their husbands.
“Whether departments are career or call, it doesn’t change the importance of creating a diverse work environment,” Groveland Fire Chief Robert Lay said in a press release. “We’re excited to add these women to our roster of talented firefighters.”
Evans, who already works for the West Newbury Fire Department, will also serve Groveland. Her husband is a fire deputy chief at West Newbury, reported FOX 25.
Bosch told WCVB that she was inspired to become a firefighter after watching her husband attend the fire academy last winter.
“Going in as a female in an all-male department, it can be a little nerve wracking. The five of us, I hope, show that you can be male, female, it doesn’t matter. Anyone can go and do this job,” Bosch told CBS Boston.
Previously serving as a special education teacher and recently certified EMT, Hicks will also be joining the department.
Panaro, who studied fire protection and safety technology, told the department she’s wanted to be a firefighter since she was young.
Shea recently graduated high school and participated in the West Newbury junior firefighter program.