By Allison White
The Eureka Times Standard
HUMBOLT, Calif. — Arly Allen has always liked physically and mentally challenging jobs, and she just landed one that fits the bill perfectly.
The Eureka woman recently became the first paid female firefighter to ply the trade for Humboldt Fire District No. 1. After working as a volunteer for three years in Arcata, Allen said she’s excited about the opportunity to fight fires full-time — and for money.
“It’s the perfect job for me,” she said.
Always interested in sports and other physically demanding pursuits, Allen said she’s long been working toward donning the turnouts on a full-time basis.
But the path has been long, and marked by stark contrasts. While toiling as a volunteer at the Arcata Fire Protection District, Allen had to balance her time training and responding to emergency calls with her day job of running a children’s day care facility out of her home.
She closed the day care soon after landing the job at Humboldt Fire District, but said the job helped her raise a family and make money -- all at the same time.
Allen said she started the day care in 2006 so she could work and be at home with her then 1-year-old daughter. She and her husband, Bret Allen, are currently raising a total of three children in their McKinleyville home.
Her children don’t think it’s a big deal their mom is a firefighter, but they do enjoy some of the perks.
“My 4-and-a-half-year-old really likes to go to the station and sit in the fire engine,” Allen said.
Although she’s the first woman to work the district in this capacity, the transition so far hasn’t been awkward. All her team members have been welcoming, she said.
“I don’t feel like the oddball out or anything,” she said. “I can forget I’m a female sometimes and just blend in with the guys.”
In some aspects, being a volunteer firefighter is more difficult because it’s all self-motivated — taking time to complete your training and away from your personal life is a choice left up to the volunteer. A lot rides on their perseverance, since other’s lives often can depend on a firefighter.
“You have to train enough to be respected,” she said.
And after all the training and all the practice, that sense of self-satisfaction and confidence, Allen said, is her favorite part of the job. "(It’s) the high amount of training you get so you feel confident in your job,” she said.
Not to be outdone, two other firefighters have also joined the ranks of the district.
Firefighter Bela Kalman comes from the Suisun City Fire Department, where he served as a firefighter and EMT since August of 2006, according to a district press release. He previously owned a small machine shop.
Firefighter William Stoffers III came from Samoa Peninsula Fire District, where he worked for three years as a volunteer. He has experience with CalFire, City Ambulance and the U.S. Forest Service and currently lives in Samoa.
Fire District No. 1 Chief Ken Woods said the hiring process for these three firefighters began last December. They started with about 80 applicants and narrowed down the list with physical tests, written exams and interviews with both peers and the chief.
Woods was well aware that the hiring of Allen had special meaning.
“We’re excited about it,” he said. “It’s obviously new ground.”
The new hires are filling slots that were only recently vacated, so their hiring will have little impact on the district’s budget.
“It’s just maintaining our work force,” Woods said.
Hiring the crew’s first woman has prompted some minor changes to the station. Restroom and shower policies, for instance, have been amended slightly to accommodate a coworker of the opposite sex, Woods said.
“It’s all those basic things guys run around and don’t worry about,” he said.
Although this is a first for Humboldt Fire, Arcata Fire is ahead of them by about three years, said Assistant Fire Chief Desmond Cowan.
Cowan said that gender doesn’t make a difference when hiring a firefighter. The most important consideration is how they’ll work with the rest of the team.
“When you hire someone, it’s much more difficult to know if they have the personality that fits,” he said.
Firefighters cook together, work together and live together, so having the right kind of personality for the job is key, Cowan said.
Cowan said Allen was an active volunteer for the AFPD and is definitely qualified for the job.
“She’ll do fine wherever she is,” Cowan said.
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