More women in the fire service, but room for more

Within VNOG, seven percent of the volunteers are currently female. In Achterhoek it is 8.6%. This is while there are no fewer women living in the area. “What we can point out is that compared to recent years, there are more and more women active in our fire stations,” said a company spokesperson. It is remarkable that, especially in the police forces along the border, as in Suderwick/Dinxperlo, there are more women among the volunteers. “Sometimes up to about thirteen to seventeen percent,” said the speaker. “There is no clear explanation for that.”

As the Fire Service strives to be a “reflection of society,” there is still a world to be won. “So more women are part of this, as well as representation from other groups such as LGBTQ and immigrants,” said the spokeswoman. “In short, everyone is welcome in the fire service. We hire without regard to gender, background, religion, etc. This is also not permissible in terms of discrimination.”

New campaign

Also this year, the fire brigade hopes to attract new volunteers through a recruitment drive. Because training takes two years, new recruits are always welcome. There is no urgent shortage within VNOG, not even in Achterhoek. “There are no fire stations where the need is great, but there are places with fire stations where you see certain demographic developments,” the spokesperson said. “Think of young people who continue to work or live there after their studies in a major city.”

Photo: REGIO8

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