deadly fl u. The alarm sounded, but the men were all too sick to respond to the fi re. She took it upon herself to respond alone with the heavy water pumper. Mind you, that was a hand- pulled heavy water pumper; by herself, wearing her apron and dress, and she got the pumper to the scene of the fi re and operated it. When they heard what she had done, the members of Oceanus Engine Company 11 were so impressed and grateful that they appointed Molly Williams as an uno cial member of the company. She was called Volunteer 11 and was said to be as strong and capable as any of the male members. It also wasn't long before they started using horses to pull the pumper. There is a children's book about Molly titled, " Molly by Golly - the Legend of America's First Female Fire fi ". ghter Molly's story is inspiring, but in another way, it is awful. Her work with Oceanus Engine Company 11 was done under the absolute worst of conditions - that of being a slave. This is my tribute to this woman's contribution to fi re service history - the incredible Molly Williams! She took it upon herself to respond alone with the heavy water pumper. Mind you, that was a hand-pulled heavy water pumper; by herself, wearing her apron and dress, and she got the pumper to the scene of the fire and operated it. When they heard what she had done, the members of Oceanus Engine Company 11 were so impressed and grateful that they appointed Molly Williams as an unofficial member of the company. She was called Volunteer 11 and was said to be as strong and capable as any of the male members. It wasn’t long before they started using horses to pull the pumper. There is a children’s book about Molly titled, Molly by Golly - the Legend of America’s First Female Firefighter. Molly’s story is inspiring, but in another way, it is awful. Her work with Oceanus Engine Company 11 was done under the absolute worst of conditions - that of being a slave. This is my tribute to this woman’s contribution to fire service history - the incredible Molly Williams! Comments from Readers of the March 2021 Women’s History Month Features that Highlighted Women from the Fire and Emergency Services “It is heart-warming to see these giants in the industry recognized in this way. Perhaps the expanded realization that women have made spectacular contributions to the fi re service when given an opportunity will encourage even more success for others in the future.”
44
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator