By Meghann Cotter
The Free-Lance Star
FREDRICKSBURG, Va. — A 185-pound dummy doesn’t budge when Holly Duncan wedges her fingers under its armpits, leans back and pulls.
A recruit in Stafford’s Fire and Rescue Academy, she must pull “Rescue Randy” more than 50 feet, around a cone and back to the starting point. It’s the last task in a timed obstacle course that she and her 21 colleagues must pass to graduate in March.
Many men are fatigued after the hose hauling, ladder lifting and heavy hammering that precedes this part of the test. And all eight women have the same seven-minute time limit and 40- to 50-pound gear.
Full Story: Women facing trial by fire