Nancy Innes, 53, is looking back on a great idea.
Twenty-seven years ago, when she was studying chemistry and biochemistry at Simon Fraser University, she spotted a poster at the university about the Surrey Fire Service hiring firefighters.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the first time I ever thought about it, and I just thought it would be a really great job,鈥� she said in an interview with Black Press Media.
鈥淚 just thought, I鈥檓 going to go for it.鈥�
She was hired on Sept. 14, 1992, along with Isabel Ruediger, to become Surrey鈥檚 first professional female firefighters. Ruediger is currently captain at Hall 4 in Guildford and Innes is retiring as captain of Hall 8 in Cloverdale 鈥� where she leads a crew of 16 firefighters over four shifts 鈥� at 8 a.m. Thursday, after her last shift.
鈥淗opefully it鈥檚 not too crazy of a night shift,鈥� she chuckled.
Virginia MacDonald was the first woman hired to the department, as a secretary. Jean Turley and Heather Beaton were the first volunteer firefighters in Surrey, signing on in 1960.
But Innes and Ruediger are the first professionals, working full time.
鈥淭here was no women in the Lower Mainland at that time, if my memory serves right,鈥� Innes told the Now-Leader. 鈥淭here were volunteer firefighters around, but no professionals. We were in the same group 鈥� we were in a group of 16.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know, when I applied, that there was no women, until I started doing more research,鈥� she recalled.
Today Surrey has 14 female firefighters out in the field, fighting fires, of about 360 firefighters all told. But counting dispatchers, Surrey Fire Service currently has 40 women in uniform.
Last call? The alarm rings at Hall 8, and Nancy Innes and her crew are on the road to help someone. (Photo: Tom Zytaruk)
Innes wants women to know that firefighting is a good career option for them.
鈥淭here鈥檚 still not a lot of women that apply to be firefighters. I think it鈥檚 important that they know it is a viable career for women. Hopefully they鈥檒l see more women on the trucks and that sort of thing. If you grow up only seeing men on fire trucks everywhere you look, you probably don鈥檛 think of it as a women鈥檚 career, but it really is. It鈥檚 been a really good career.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard physical work, and it鈥檚 exciting,鈥� she noted. 鈥淚鈥檝e had people come up to me 鈥� like at Guildford mall one day I was going through with a fire crew and this young bride came up and said, 鈥楾hanks for saving my dad鈥檚 life.鈥� We had done CPR on him a month before, and he had survived. We never know, because they go away in the ambulance and we don鈥檛 ever see them again.
鈥淎nother month later the dad came by, and said thank you. So that was pretty cool.鈥�
Besides Cloverdale, Innes has also worked in Guildford, Newton, Whalley and South Surrey.
When she became a professional firefighter, at age 26, she said, she didn鈥檛 encounter much resistance from her male colleagues.
鈥淭here were certain firefighters that weren鈥檛 as happy about it, but mainly not, because Surrey was growing so fast I think it helped, like there was lots of new firefighters coming in, it was quite progressive.鈥�
Innes lives in Surrey. Her husband and fellow firefighter Dave Baird, who is captain at Hall 13, expects to retire next year. They have three sons, and Innes looks forward to traveling 鈥� first stop, Portugal.
What will Innes miss most about her job?
鈥淒efinitely the people I work with, I鈥檒l miss鈥he camaraderie,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 like going to calls that you have to figure things out at, there鈥檚 lots going on and you have to figure out what your plan is. I won鈥檛 miss the tragedy side of things. Like death, and people in pain, you know, you don鈥檛 like seeing that.鈥�
What has she seen change, from a female firefighter鈥檚 perspective, over the course of her lengthy career in Surrey?
鈥淚t鈥檚 changed technology wise, even the trucks and that sort of thing, but as far as being women? There鈥檚 more women鈥檚 bathrooms. Like the newer halls are more accommodating so we have women鈥檚 locker rooms and stuff in the newer halls,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he older halls, they still might have only one room with a shower or whatever, but you just lock the door, same as in a house. They are trying to get more women鈥檚 clothing, and that sort of thing, which is nice. Our turnout gear is all custom, so it fits you perfectly, so it doesn鈥檛 matter if you鈥檙e a man or a woman. The testing is similar 鈥� it鈥檚 the same for everyone, for whoever applies. Same standard for everyone.鈥�
Surrey Fire Chief Larry Thomas says Innes 鈥渋s proof that women can have long and fulfilling careers as firefighters. As Nancy moves into a well-earned retirement, I know her pioneering work will inspire other women to fill her place within the ranks of the Surrey Fire Service.鈥�
Mayor Doug McCallum described her as 鈥渢ruly a trail blazer and inspiration for women who want to make a career out of firefighting.鈥�
Incidentally, our interview at Hall 8 was abruptly ended by an alarm concerning a medical call and Innes and her crew were swiftly out the door.
A busy Surrey firefighter, to the last.
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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