VIDEO: More than half of Richmond Fire Department’s newest graduating class are women, marking a historic milestone for the department. Captain Jamila Flowers, who joined the department in 2001, has witnessed the evolution firsthand. “When I first came in, I was the 11th female hired,” Flowers said.
After 24 years with the department, Flowers has risen from recruit to training captain and now helps both men and women complete fire academy training. “Back then, you know, this was not a sought out field for females, and it still isn’t, but more and more we’re seeing more and more females,” Flowers said. The most recent graduating class made department history with 59% of the 22 graduates being women. “I was like, man, there’s more females than it is males,” Flowers said.
Za’nae Salam and Rowan Lacey were among the female graduates who completed the rigorous training program. “I did a little EMS before this, and doing that, I saw a lot of firefighters. I work alongside them, and it was just something that I thought would be challenging and I’ll grow,” Salam said. “I used to work in crisis mental health. And I really loved helping people, but also really loved the crisis side of things and the fast pace,” Lacey said. Both women were surprised by the number of female classmates on their first day at the academy.
