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Shubhangi Bhor’s head is buried inside thick files. Dressed in a crisp white shirt and navy blue pants, her shoulders shine with three epaulettes that bear her rank. Her forage cap with a glistening motif of the Mumbai Fire Brigade Logo is kept on the desk. There is a young fireman waiting outside her office to get her signature on some documents. She looks up, smiles and calls him in. There is a joke exchanged, they chuckle as she glances through the paper and signs it. For one of the three first woman Assistant Station Officers of Maharashtra, Bhor is extremely humble and affable. She closes her files as other fire women adorned in pale blue uniforms and peaked caps team join us in her small office inside the force’s headquarters in Byculla, Mumbai. They all seem strong and fit, a result of months of hard training that they have had behind them. The smiles exchanged tell me that they are a close-knit team. As they settle down, they talk about their journey and what it’s like to be part of Maharashtra’s first gender-integrated fire brigade team in the service’s 130-year-old history.
Women were first recruited to the Mumbai fire brigade, only in 2011. For almost six years, their number remained less than two dozen, until this summer when 60 to 70 women were trained and recruited to work across Mumbai’s 34 fire-stations. For 29-year-old Shubhangi Bhor from Rajgurupur, Pune, joining the fire brigade was a matter of serendipity. “It was back in 2011, I had just graduated and was looking for something to do. I saw the firewomen recruitment advertisement in the newspaper and decided to apply,” she says. Similarly, Bhor’s batch mate, Rohini Dagdu (27) joined the force when her daughter was just two years old. “It was an encouraging phone call from my brother-in-law that led me to this decision,” she says. Lata Bhabad admits that before applying she had no idea of what she would be expected to do, but none of these three women have regretted their decision ever since. Ankita (23) and Chaya (21) from Sindhdurg and Yavatmal respectively are the new members on the team. They are quiet and shy, but are diligent members of the workforce. “The first few days of the training were hard. I seldom thought about why I had signed up for this, but the job is rewarding. The feeling that you are going to be saving lives is what keeps me going,” says Ankita.
When asked about their training period, the ladies exchange amused looks. “Training comes later, first you need to qualify to train and that is grueling,” says Bhor, telling me about the selection criteria. One must be between the ages of 20-25 and at least 162 cm tall and weigh more than 50kgs. The first qualifying round requires them to run 800 meters in 4 mins and then take a 19-feet high leap from a drill tower. Then they are required to run an arduous 200 meter track with a 40 kg dummy. There’s also an intensive medical examination carried out to ensure that the fittest of the fit make the cut. The six month training that happens in Wadala after recruitment is a level ground for both firemen and forewomen. Early morning drills, exercises and runs are followed by theory and confidence boosting classes.
The firewomen at Byculla Fire Brigade work for 8 hours everyday. A typical day at the fire brigade starts with getting the fire vehicles ready followed by drills and attending calls. Days when there are no calls, the team carries out paperwork. “We are all treated equally here, given the same training, opportunities and tasks, no matter how physically demanding they are. There is absolutely no discrimination. Equality is the first step towards women empowerment,” they say unanimously.
While all the firewomen that were interviewed said that their families, both natal and marital had been extremely supportive, they did have to face some sort of resistance from the society.
“But that hardly matters when your family is on your side,” Bhor says confidently. “When we are out on a call, trying to save trapped people, most women refuse to be carried out by men. Sometimes women can go into spaces that men cannot. That is why in a society like ours, having firewomen is so very important. So many people congratulate us when they see us working on field,” she adds.
The job of a firewoman is responsible and dangerous. “Haven’t you ever been scared?” I ask them. “In the beginning it is scary, especially when you see injured and dead bodies. But the scarier thought is knowing you might not be able to save all of them,” says Rohini narrating a fire incident when they lost a fireman on their team. Chaya who was on her first big call just a few weeks ago admits how horrible she felt to have seen a dead body. “I couldn’t get that image out of my head for days,” she says.“ We have attended so many calls, seen so much fires and adversities that we are used to it now. We cannot get scared or emotional. This is our job,” states Lata. “More scared than us are our families, who call us the minute they hear there has been a fire,” chuckles Bhor. “But we signed up for this knowing the professional hazards. Our effective team work ensures minimum casualties and personal safety,” she says.
Though women are a minority and hardly make 10% of the force, all fire stations in Mumbai have been accommodating gender differences sensitively. In conversation with the Live Mint, Prabhat Rahangdale, Chief Fire Officer, Mumbai Fire Brigade says, “Every station in Mumbai is ready with new infrastructure for women staff, from changing rooms to restrooms. There is no place for workplace harassment or institutional bias. If someone thinks or behaves differently from how they are expected to, they can get out.”
The work culture, at least in the Byculla Fire Station is very positive and disciplined. Everyone mixes with everyone. There are no insecurities, I am told. “They take really good care of us. Salaries are steady, there are tons of perks, facilities and even opportunities especially in the area of sports”, says Lata with her eyes shining as she narrates to me her experiences in a volleyball tournament.
“How does it feel at the end of the day, knowing you have saved lives?” I ask putting forth my final question to them. They all go quiet. Bhor smiles enigmatically. “The more daunting feeling is that of feeling helpless...for the lives we couldn’t save,” she says dejectedly. “But we are out there giving our best. We owe it to our uniform and our position,” she continues.
It is now time for the firewomen get ready for a drill fallout. I bid them adieu and step out of the office and see blackboards filled with tasks and duties assigned to the team. Towards one corner is the honour role of the Brigade’s 130-year-old service. I glance and see names of all males. But I am not disappointed. After interacting with such bold, empowered firewomen, I have no qualms about finding their names on that list very soon. They just need to keep that fire burning.
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