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NAME:
Christiana Rainbow Plews
EMAIL:
lovefire@ptinet.com
OCCUPATION:
I am a Full-time volunteer structural firefighter, EMT-Basic
(training to EMT-Intermediate), Swiftwater Rescue Techician,
Space Rescue Technician, Farm Rescue Specialist, Fire Prevention
Instructor, PIO, Flood Management Specialist, Community Emergency
Preparedness Coordinator, paid seasonal wildfire and wildland interface
fighter and hoping to be accepted to medical school in 2000 with the
hope of becoming an emergency room physician. Located in a small
farming coomunity of approx 3,500 people. Call volume approx 250
per year
BIO:
Aged 28 with two sons aged 6 1/2 and 3 1/2
I grew up in a back-woods community in Southern Oregon. We were
30 miles from the nearest "real" town. In all my 17 years
there, I saw an ambulance on the road twice and never saw a
fire truck. I heard sirens in "town" and they used to scare me!
There was no 9-1-1 - in any way, shape or form.
Since it was a logging community, there were accidents, and
those unfortunate individuals usually died or were rescued by
the Coast Guard.
If your kid got hurt, you loaded her into the pickup and took
off hell-bent for town. And if your house caught on fire, oh
well. I had a friend whose home burned to the ground when we
were in 6th grade.
Forestry would send trucks out to protect the woods if it was
fire season, but no structural protection. Believe it or not,
that community is still like that!
Ok, enough about that. My point is that I was unaware of a
"Fire Service" let alone had any interest in it.
I went to college and got my BA in English. When I got
married, in 1989, my husband and I moved to the small town
where we now reside.
I became aware of the fire department
the first time the town siren went off in the middle of the
night about 100 yards from my bedroom window. They are 2
left-over WWII air-raid sirens that central dispatch sets off
anytime a fire truck leaves the station. I about peed my
pants. I could hear the cars responding and then the siren
from the station - only 4 blocks from our house. I told my
husband, "I want to do that". He said, "Uh huh, honey, go
back to sleep..."
And so I got an application and joined.
When I joined, there were only 3 other women on the department.
Being the type of person I am, I jumped in with both feet
and I think right away everyone knew I was in for the long
haul. The chief told me when I joined that sometimes things
got a little "rowdy" and I looked him in the eye and said
"I have tough skin". And that was that.
I have been on the department for 6 years now. I quickly and
enthusiatically obtained the training and proved to myself
that I could do it. Then I became pregnant with my second son.
I didn't tell the chief until I was about 5 1/2 months
pregnant. He wanted me to stop responding and I told
him, "not a chance". I had complications with the pregnancy
later on, though and voluntarily stopped going on fire calls.
It was then that I discovered my love of EMS. I took a first
responder class (in Oregon, FR is the equivalent of advanced
first aid). Since I was home during the day, I was often the
only "medic" on calls. Scared me to death!
I knew I wanted more training. I took the EMT-Basic class in
1995 and finished at the head of the class.
Since then, I have been elected to be on our department's
elite rescue squad, which has been an honor and
an incredible learning experience. I feel like the department
is "family" in many ways. We are a small group, and those of
us who are the "die-hards"(respond to every call) are very
close.
Our chief is a very good leader and I feel fortunate to be
under his command. He does get a little protective of his
women, but only a little.
My husband is extremely and entirely supportive of my love of
the fire service. There is never a question when my pager goes
off whether I go or not. He has no interest in it, so it is
wholly MY thing.
I am proud to say that my youngest son wants to be a
firefighter like his mommy when he grows up, and
my eldest son wants to be an arson detective!!!.
I think it is vitally important for our sons to see women doing
whatever they like and doing it well. One of my only pet
peeves is the women I see in the fire service who are only
there to snag a man or be a pain in the ass or just because
their husband is on the department. They make the rest of us
have to work twice as hard to undo the damage they cause.
I love the work I do and the community I serve and the commrades
I have in the department. I feel honored to be a part of this
great service. I would love nothing more than to be hired onto
a paid department, but if that doesn't happen (ff jobs are
scarce here) I will be content to be serve soley from my heart.
I would be excited to someday be a captain, but for right now,
I am just trying to get the chief to let me drive the trucks
and be a pump operator!!!
It will happen, because I, like most women in the fire service
(and other male-dominated professions) am tough and relentless.
But my motto is LAUGH LONG AND LOUD. And I do.
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