By Paige Hewitt
The Houston Chronicle
HOUSTON — Her small frame consumed by 60 pounds of firefighting gear, 18-year-old Andreina Rodriguez paused to steal a moment on the steps after escaping a burning building.
Her expression masked by her helmet, Andreina quietly pumped her fists in the air.
She was celebrating guts; that her grit had overpowered fear.
Moments later, the sweat-soaked Sterling High teen freed her head, collected her long, black ponytail and explained why she was considering a male-dominated profession.
“I like knowing I can do what men can do. I’m not weak,” said Andreina, who has four older brothers and who is considering joining the Houston Fire Department after she turns 19.
She was among nearly two dozen teenage girls to participate this weekend in Camp Houston Fire, part of a new effort to recruit more women to the Houston Fire Department.
The biannual event, free to participants, will be held again in November.
Of the city’s nearly 3,900 firefighters, about 100 are women, said Kim Phillips, event chairwoman and spokeswoman for an organization for female firefighters called The Sirens, which has about 60 active members.
HFD has been on the defensive since allegations last July of discrimination at Station 54 at Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Firefighters Jane Draycott and Paula Keyes found sexist and racist graffiti scrawled on their lockers after they complained about poor treatment.
Phillips said the incidents at that station spawned more dialogue among women about recruiting and retaining females.
“We needed a long-range plan to recruit women,” she said. “Certainly we have not been successful in recruiting women in the last 10 years. Some of that might be attitude, some of that might be budget.”
Another program, called Third Saturdays, also targets women, who, like all new firefighters, must be 36 or younger when they are sworn in.
Phillips said that over the last couple of months, about 20 women have attended the gatherings, a sort of open house at HFD’s training center near Hobby Airport. Applicants can learn more about the job, including practicing tough physical requirements.
The running requirement — 1.5 miles in 13:07 — trips up most candidates, Phillips said.
The teens at this weekend’s camp were asked to climb pumper ladders, navigate confined spaces without sight, repel down four stories and crawl through a burning house.
Emma Cruz, a member of ROTC and an A-student at Waltrip High, loved it all. She is trying to decide between the military and HFD.
Most girls thrived on the challenges, while some eliminated options.
“This is not my profession,” whispered 17-year-old Francisca Puente. “I think I want to work with kids.”
Being in a burning building wasn’t a thrill for her. “The only thing I wanted was to get out.”
Men volunteering at the camp emphasized that being a firefighter is difficult.
“It’s a struggle for men too,” said John Baker, who has been with the department about eight years.
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