Meet the women who were on the frontlines battling the SPS Technologies fire in Pennsylvania

By Aziza Shuler

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    Pennsylvania (KYW) — A group of local female firefighters are on the frontlines protecting life and property on a daily basis. They lift 70-pound ladders, endure the weight of heavy gear and scale dizzying heights without hesitation — these are the women of Montgomery County’s many volunteer fire services.

Last month, the fearless women were on the front lines of the massive four-alarm fire at SPS Technologies in Abington Township and played a crucial role in bringing the blaze under control.

“We were involved in dropping a lot of lines for water and helping with the supply,” Lexi Wilmot-Shaw, a volunteer firefighter with the Flourtown Fire Company, said.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, only 9% of firefighters in the United States are women.

But their ranks are growing, especially among volunteers like Wilmot-Shaw.

“I’ve been doing this for 13 years now, and when I joined, there weren’t too many women, but now it’s more and more,” Wilmot-Shaw said.

Firefighting runs in Wilmot-Shaw’s blood. She’s a fourth-generation member of the Flourtown Fire Company, following in the footsteps of her father, who serves as chief.

“I met many of my bridesmaids through the fire academy; some of my best friends are firefighters,” she said.

“The dad worry comes out sometimes, but I’m proud of her coming out and I know she is well trained,” George Wilmot, Lexi’s father, said.

Julianna Smull, 18, hasn’t even graduated high school, but she’s already training to respond to calls with the King of Prussia Volunteer Fire Company.

“I feel like when I came into this, I was a girl,” Smull said. “I wasn’t strong until I came in here, and I one-up the guys! So it was kind of nice to be able to do what they were doing and to show other young girls that they can do anything!”

Montgomery County has a critical need for volunteer firefighters, and a new recruitment push is calling on everyday people to step up, including women eager to break barriers.

“There’s no reason that women cannot get involved in the fire service,” George Wilmot said. “They’re accepted just like anyone else.”

“Just be the girl that decides to go for it,” Smull said.

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