Welcome to the www.firegirls.info web site.
This site belongs to Dr Merilyn Childs. Here you will find a living work-space in which the history of female fire fighters in Australia will be developed, and told.There are also links to images of female fire fighters during WWII in Australia and other countries and from modern history. I also have some fabulous vintage advertisements and images of uniforms work by the Amazons and uniforms during WWII.
My focus is on the visual history of female fire fighters. On this site you will find some intriguing pictures, and inspiring stories. I also hope you will be surprised by the long history that exists of female fire fighters, even if that history remains largely invisible in mainstream firefighting histories. You will also find selected archives from the Women in Fire Fighting Conferences that were held in Sydney 2005 and 2006.
The last Australasian Women and Fire Fighting Conference took place in 2006. Since that time, many things have changed. When first I began my work in 1994, barely a whisper could be found on the web about women and fire fighting in Australia. It is wonderful to see that so much work has now been done, and so many positive images of female firefighters now exist on Australian fire agency web sites. Research and change still needs to take place, but a good start has been made.
About firegirls
The firegirls.info project shares a visual history of female firefighters for the past 100 years.
It is unfunded, and a labour of love. I update the site as I find time, so please bookmark it, and visit again.
I hope you enjoy this showcase of a largely unknown story about the participation of women in the fire services, and in fire fighting, in Australia.
Warm regards
Merilyn Childs
December 2008
Please contact me if you have further information!
