Empowering Women in the Fire Service
Sullivan 180 Presents at 1st Annual New York Women in Fire Day
[LIBERTY, NY] Sullivan 180 Outreach Coordinator Nicole Blais presented at the 1st Annual New York Women in Fire Day held in Albany in September. Hosted by the Westmere Fire Department, the conference welcomed attendees from 17 counties throughout New York State, including 4 representatives from Sullivan County. The day featured presentations on topics including health and wellness, grant writing, leadership and emergency response.
Blais presented on the Healthiest Fire Department Challenge as a replicable framework for fire department health and wellness. The Challenge is a health and wellness competition for Sullivan County firefighters that supports the creation of healthy habits and routines focusing on physical, nutritional, and mental health. Her presentation explained how the challenge is engaging firefighters with movement and activities around creating healthy habits and routines.
“It was inspiring being able to present about the Healthiest Fire Department Challenge and the amazing work being done in Sullivan County fire departments to a room full of firefighters passionate about connecting, learning, sharing experiences, and empowering women in the fire service,” said Nicole.
Women in Fire is an organization dedicated to championing female leadership and participation within the fire and emergency services. The Coalition represents hundreds of individuals, both male and female, contributing to fire and emergency services in various roles, including career and volunteer firefighters, union officials, fire service educators, and research scientists. Women in Fire actively participates in various committees and task forces within the National Fire Protection Association, contributing to the establishment of firefighter qualification standards.
It is estimated that there are over 1 million firefighters in the United States and only 90,000 are female firefighters.
The Healthiest Fire Department Challenge is currently gearing up for a 5th year of health and a little healthy competition! Departments interested in signing up for the 2027 Challenge can reach out to Nicole Blais at Nicole@Sullivan180.org.