Female firefighter joins Ala. department for first time in 20 years

“They made me feel like a sister. There were times of congeniality, but towards the end these are my brothers, it was just like family,” firefighter Shree Bostick said

March 27, 2014 05:17 AM

Montgomery Advertiser

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — For the first time in more than 20 years, the Montgomery Fire and Rescue Department welcomed a female firefighter into its ranks Wednesday after the class of 2013-B graduated inside City Hall.

Firefighter Shree Bostick graduated with 32 other trainees. She considers them her brothers and her team after they shared a rigorous 22 weeks of training at the Montgomery Fire Academy.

“They made me feel like a sister,” Bostick said. “There were times of congeniality, but towards the end these are my brothers, it was just like family.”

Bostick becomes only the second female firefighter to be currently employed by the MFD since the last female officer graduated in the early 1990s.

“It’s still kind of surreal to me,” Bostick said upon graduating. “I would never have expected to make it this far.”

Earning her EMT license and getting her firefighter certification made her weeks of training all worth it Bostick said. She plans to further her training with paramedic school.

Many of the graduates, including Bostick will be stationed at the new Fire Station 9 inside the old refurbished Montgomery Mall.

This is one of the few newer stations equipped with female designated facilities, according to Chief Christopher Murphy, director of the Montgomery Department of Public Safety.

Class 2013-B firefighters successfully completed physically-demanding training at the academy to include advanced EMT and fire suppression training.

Fire Chief Milford Jordan said he was proud of their accomplishments, because serving as a firefighter is a demanding task.

“Being a firefighter is not easy and neither is the process of becoming a firefighter. ... You have to really want it,” Jordan said.

“The fire service is a dangerous profession, yet fighting fires can be the most rewarding duties a person can have,” he added.

Mayor Todd Strange congratulated the trainees and thanked their families for the support they had given the trainees. Montgomery County Probate Judge Steven Reed delivered the graduation address and administered the oath of office.