The Pau Costa Foundation promotes a new working group to make visible and contribute solutions to gender inequality present in the sector of fires. Whether from personal experience or from the reality we see every day, we are aware that women in the world of emergencies are still very stigmatized. We find that many similarities are shared with other sectors (the glass roof, family reconciliation …) or specific to the sector, such as maternity being a limiting factor due to the level of physical effort required in some positions. Therefore, they want to develop a series of measures that aim to give visibility to these challenges and explore opportunities, to give visibility to this reality, promote and achieve equality and diversity within the emergency sector.
Map of Insights from Women Working on Wildfires
On March 8, 2021, we launched a map so that all women working in the various forest fire sectors could pin their work and contribute to raising awareness of the work they do.
Subsequently, we have organized a social media campaign each year to expand the map with new additions. Collecting and showcasing the most personal reflections of women working in forest fires is important. We want to show how they feel and what they have learned from their experience. So, every March 8, we remember and encourage women working in the field of forest fires, whether in operations, management, research, among other sectors, to share and contribute by example, raising awareness of women in this field.
The map supports text, video, and audio formats. We seek answers to questions such as: What inspired you to dedicate yourself to the field of forest fires? What is the reality of women working in forest fires in your country? What are your hopes for the future?
If you fancy taking part in this new project, please fill out this survey.
Campaign to make women visible within this sector for # 8M, 2020
On March 8, 2020, we launched a Twitter campaign to ask women in the sector to share an image or video of them doing their work. More than 80 women left their mark on this campaign, thank you very much for participating!
Inquiry here is the #WomenInEmergencies campaign.
Study on aptitude/access tests to fire brigades based on gender
El The Research Group VALFIS of the University of León, in collaboration with the Pau Costa Foundation, has carried out a study analyzing the physical selection tests that are established in the different public and/or private calls for access to structural fire brigades and forest fire brigades at the level national, taking into account the gender perspective. The results of this study were presented on March 11, 2021, in a webinar in which Annika Coll Erikson participated. She shared with the attendees her extensive professional career in the world of emergencies, and the barriers she found by being a woman.
Read our PCF Diversity Manifesto
The Gender and Fire Group has written the PCF Diversity Manifesto to give a more intersectional approach to the entity’s activity.
In the forest fire community, our goal is to act as a speaker for those voices that are currently underrepresented, such as those of women, young people and the elderly, people from the LGBT+ community, indigenous communities and people. with different capacities.
