On April 19, Suwanna Kerdkaew broke that all-male streak when she became the first female, Asian-American and LGBT fire chief to lead the county department and its over 200 firefighters.
Kerdkaew’s ascent to the role comes at a trying time for the fire department as it deals with pandemic-related staffing shortages and prepares for the momentous challenge of battling the region’s wildfires that have left California skies chock full of smoke in recent years.
Kerdkaew also enters into the role as fire departments around the Bay Area are being scrutinized for their lack of female firefighters. A December 2020 Santa Clara County civil grand jury report blamed the absence of women within the ranks at the county and three other fire departments in the county on poor recruiting techniques, gender bias and a lack of inclusivity.
In an interview during her second day as chief, Kerdkaew said that while the county fire department has made progress in some areas, there’s room to improve. And she’s determined to push the recruitment of women even further.
Currently, women make up 6 percent of the county firefighting force of 211. The number is slightly higher than the national average of 4 percent, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.
You must be logged in to post a comment.