Conclusion Once again, it has been a great honor to document and celebrate the outstanding achievements women make throughout the fi re and emergency services. The fact that there has been a signi fi cant call for my work to be published and more widely distributed is a tribute to the importance of the e ort. There is a playful quote from years ago comparing the talents of two famous dancers that said, “Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but she did it backwards and in high heels.” I can’t help but be reminded of these words when I think of the challenges and accomplishments of women in the fi re service. If they chose the career path of fi re fi ghter, they not only had to learn to do their jobs and perform well, but they had to repeat their performances over and over (sometimes daily) to continuously prove to some of their male counterparts and supervisors that they were capable of doing the job. And to top it o , they were often being evaluated by those who did not want the women there in the fi rst place. When I was in the military, and again in fi re fi ghter recruit training, I was reminded of the mindset of “improve, adapt, and overcome”. Every woman I featured during the 2021 Women’s History Month was tough and determined enough to do that, as are the thousands of other women who have fi re service careers. I salute you and I’m proud to tell your stories! I would like to thank my friend John M. Buckman III for his signi fi cant assistance in making this book of honor possible. Many of you know John as a former fi re chief and the 2001-2002 IAFC President. He has a kind and generous heart and is always an advocate for excellence, training, leadership, safety, and fairness. It is also important that I say “thank you” to the VCOS and Pierce for generously contributing to this project. I would like to thank my friend, John M. Buckman III, for his significant assistance in making this book of honor possible. Many of you know John as a former fire chief and the 2001- 2002 IAFC President. He has a kind and generous heart and is always an advocate for excellence, training, leadership, safety, and fairness. It is also important that I say thank you to the IAFC, VCOS, and Pierce for generously contributing to this project. Conclusion It has been a great honor to document and celebrate the outstanding achievements women make throughout the fire and emergency service. The fact that there has been a significant call for my work to be published and more widely distributed is a tribute to the importance of the effort. There is a playful quote from years ago comparing the talents of two famous dancers that said, “Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but she did it backwards and in high heels.” I can’t help but be reminded of these words when I think of the challenges and accomplishments of women in the fire service. If they chose the career path of firefighter, they not only had to learn to do their jobs and perform well, but they had to repeat their performances over and over (sometimes daily) to continuously prove to some of their male counterparts and supervisors that they were capable of doing the job. And to top it off, they were often being evaluated by those who did not want the women there in the first place. When I was in the military, and again in firefighter recruit training, I was reminded of the mindset of “improve, adapt, and overcome.” Every woman I featured during the 2021 Women’s History Month was tough and determined enough to do that, as are the thousands of other women who have fire service careers. I salute you, and I’m proud to tell your stories!
Dennis Compton
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