Female firefighter, Anna Mahlangu (28), a mother of one son and a breadwinner in her family from the Belfast Team said that the annual Yellow Card Training made her confident to suppress fires during this fire season.

“I am a very proud of being a female fire fighter,the physical fitness made me realise that women can perform any job that is traditionally classified as a men’s job”, said Mahlangu.

“When I see big blazes on the fire line I am not turning back or screaming but I fight fire with the knowledge that I was armed with at the Working on Fire Academy”, she said. She said that fire fighting is an exciting, highly rewarding occupation.

She emphasised that if other women want to become fire fighters they must be aware that there are many ways to be a good fire fighter and they don’t necessarily require you to be a male.

“Each fire fighter brings individual strengths to the team that gives multiple options and balances out any individual weakness “, she said.

She concluded that women have been functioning successfully in the fire fighting industry.