Fire Service puts on a new face

By NICK SMITH

Meet Karen Adams, the new face of the Fire Service.

The 28-year-old, of Nga Puhi and Tuwharetoa descent, is a publicist's dream for a profession synonymous with white, male machismo.

Imagine the service's dilemma: a mostly Pakeha, male workforce with an average age of 47 that desperately needs new recruits while simultaneously meeting the Government's demands for a multi-ethnic, mixed-gender firefighting force.

One can almost hear the spin-doctors saying, "Hey, let's get that Maori woman from the Papakura station to front our new recruitment drive."

It is a cynical suspicion entertained by Ms Adams, who says she is against tokenism of any kind, while also extolling the benefits that being a female Maori firefighter bring to society.

She is not out to whitewash the service, saying sexism is still prevalent but "it's getting better all the time."

Mitchell Brown, the national recruitment manager, also vehemently rejects the cynic's version, saying that if the recruitment drive is tokenism, then the service would introduce a quota.

It is in society's interest to have Maori and Pacific Islanders meeting the needs of their own community, he says.

"This has become an essential part of our fire safety work with communities."

It is certainly hard to argue with Ms Adams' logic when she points out the difficulty of promoting fire safety initiatives to a predominantly Maori and Pacific Island community when the proselytiser is a Pakeha wearing a blue uniform and looking like a police officer.

"Because I have both cultures in my heritage I can fit in easily, without sounding condescending," she says.

"Any minority automatically gravitates towards the brown faces."

The empathy that women can bring to the job is useful when dealing with traumatised families coping with the destruction of their home, she says.

Predictably, Ms Adams is dismissive of the view that women cannot cut it with the physical demands of the profession.

She found the physical test comparatively easy - but then she spent years as a surf lifesaver, a decade as a professional fitness trainer, a spell in the Army, and gained entrance into the police before her present 4 1/2 year spell in the service.

The standard physical test for both men and women is attainable for any female possessing credible fitness, she says.

Twenty women work in a force of about 1400 professional firefighters, a number that will be boosted by one when this month's Rotorua class qualifies.

The push for Maori members is bearing dividends, with four Maori out of 23 in the recently qualified course and three out of 25 undergoing training.

In September, another three or four Maori will become firefighters.

Mr Brown also wants Pacific Islanders to apply, not for any politically correct reasons, but to effectively deliver prevention messages to the Polynesian community.

With half the force aged 47 or over, there will be plenty of demand for recruits soon.