Eleven women firefighters gathered Wednesday night at Shawn’s Irish Tavern in Waterville to refute claims of a culture of gender discrimination at the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department.
Three of the women declined to be quoted or recognized by name, and a twelfth firefighter, included below, emailed her statement.
What follows is their opinions on allegations of gender discrimination, in their own words:
Pvt. Janet McVicker
“I don’t want to be thought of as a woman on the job. I want to be thought of like a firefighter. Never in my 19 years have I felt like I was discriminated against or harassed.”
Pvt. Abby Sedlock
“I have been a Toledo Firefighter for over nine years. I am female, and a minority, and I have never felt discriminated against. I have also never witnessed other women I have been working with being treated unfairly due to gender, race, or sexuality. I feel that this job is one that does not matter what gender, just that you DO your job.”
Pvt. Sarah Rowe
“I have been a Toledo Firefighter for six years. I have never felt discriminated against and have always been treated with respect. It has always truly felt as though I am working with a large group of brothers and sisters. We go in every tour as a team to get the job done and do what we are all equally trained to do. Having a leader like Chief Byrd and all the positive changes he has made has heightened the morale of the department. I know he has nothing but the best intentions for all of us and the department as a whole.”
Pvt. Taryn Kirk
“I have been a Toledo firefighter for the last seven years, and being part of the guys is the best part of this job. I have never felt discriminated against in any way. I go in every morning and do my job. I go in every morning and work together with the other firefighters on my crew. I know they have my back and I have theirs. I believe that Chief Byrd was the best choice for the job and that what he has done has been for the better of our department.”
Retired Pvt. Barb Aldrich
“Retired after 33 years with TFRD. Being ‘one of the guys’ is one of the highest honors! In my personal opinion, the current accusations of harassment against women on the job are unfounded. Again, in my opinion, it has nothing to do with gender or age. Harassment does not exist at the Toledo Fire Department.”
Lt. Tammy Powell
“I have been a firefighter for 19 years and they haven’t all been without issue, but never once did I view my issues as because I was a woman. I don’t want you just because you’re a woman if you can’t do the job.”
Pvt. Mrs. Sally Finch
“I have been a firefighter for 23 years but I can’t recall any instance of gender bias. I don’t hate or dislike any of the people who have filed a lawsuit...but I don’t think they should represent all of us.”
Cpt. Sheryl Close
She has worked with the department for 27 years. The following is an excerpt from her Facebook post on July 25, 2019, which she gave The Blade permission to use. The post was edited only to spell out abbreviations and remove profanity, for clarity:
“1992 I had the complete pleasure of getting on the greatest job ever! My first assignment was to 13s on the Eastside...I walk into a station of late 40s early 50s busias (they would call themselves) they were all old squad guys that were gruff and mean looking. I thought, oh they hate me already. Wrong , these old smoke eaters treated me like their own kid, in a good way. Yes they teased me, played pranks, and gave me great nicknames. Pebbles, Kelly Bundy, BOB (big ol butt). And I was fine with it all because it was simply banter. I grew up with 2 brothers and a life long military Dad. My dad said there are a lot of guys that won’t like you, do your job prove them wrong and stay away from the (expletive). Simple advice that led me to an awesome 27 years...I implore any firefighter but especially Females, if you have an issue Please feel free to talk w myself or any Veteran Female out there, we need to work through issues early and together and we can ALL be successful in this career that we were so lucky to be chosen for.”
Probationary firefighter Nadia Coleman
Ms. Coleman was unable to participate in Wednesday's discussion but emailed a nearly two-page statement to The Blade, which she condensed to the following:
“My experience as an employee started on February 27, 2019 as a Toledo Fire Recruit in the academy. I was treated very fairly & was never made to feel unwelcome. The instructors were patient with me when I made mistakes and tough on me when I needed it most.
I started my 24-hour rotations at Station 18 shift A on July 10, 2019. My ALL Male crew was very welcoming & respectful to me from the moment I walked in the door. We quickly grew into a family with every shift worked. I was eventually the baby sister with 7 older brothers! Lol! My new family members are always willing to help me and teach me new things! They have helped me to see that even though I am much smaller than them I can still accomplish the same tasks using different body mechanics. I don't get treated differently just because I'm a female. I'm expected to be able to do the same job as the rest of the men, which I love because I know I can do it.
I first met Captain Daniel Brown-Martinez during an EMT class. Captain Martinez was very friendly and so approachable. With just one encounter he encouraged me and motivated me to change my situation. For the first time in my life I actually started to believe in myself, & it's because of him. He never belittled me or made me feel less than because of my race, gender, or socioeconomic status. I look up to him because of his stellar reputation on & off the department. Chief Martinez has become more than just my mentor. He is my big brother and my best friend. The only bad thing about him becoming chief is that we just lost one of the best line Captains to ever walk on God's green earth
When I look at Chief Byrd I don't see your typical "boss", "supervisor", "manager", or any other title that comes to mind when you think of someone in charge. I see a great leader and most importantly an amazing friend. He makes it easy to love my job. He makes it easy to love coming to work. He makes it easy for me to be a woman on the TFRD. Because of him I can proudly say that I am the youngest black woman on the TFRD.
I love Chief Byrd. I love Chief Brown-Martinez. I love Toledo Fire & Rescue Department.”
First Published October 4, 2019, 10:30 a.m.
