“In the fire service, everybody pulls their own weight,” firefighter Kori Kelly said.
Kori Kelly is a 13-year veteran career firefighter.
“I know I’m held to a standard and on top of that, I hold myself to a higher standard to make sure that I don’t slip,” Kelly said.
Kelly is concerned over newly proposed legislation that would lower the physical test requirements for women to become firefighters.
“It’s a huge safety liability, the whole point of having the national standard is having a bar that everyone has to reach,” Kelly said.
Currently, all candidates regardless of gender are required to wear a 50-pound vest during the test. It is supposed to mirror the experience of wearing heavy gear and an air tank while performing firefighter duties. The risk, Kelly said, if someone does not have to meet these capabilities, will they still be able to save lives?