First responders career fair inspires Edmonton women to explore male-dominated jobs

Being in a room full of women in uniform changed things for Rachael Maday.

The Edmonton woman is exploring a career on the front lines but wasn’t sure she had what it took.

That changed Sunday at the “Female First Responders Day” – a career fair-type event where women can talk to those on the front lines, ask questions, and learn more about the industry.

“I was one of the girls who was scared I couldn’t do the testing, or couldn’t pass it, or wasn’t big enough, or wasn’t strong enough, and none of that is true,” said Maday. “And I didn’t know that until I started talking to people, until I came here and actually invested my time into this.

“I am interested in getting into law enforcement, and I needed a place to start.”

Maday says it took an afternoon surrounded by first responders to be inspired to follow her dreams.

“I love this, I think this is great and that we should have more of these because I believe that more women should get involved in law enforcement,” she said.

Female First Responders Day in Edmonton June 25, 2023. (Laura Krause/CityNews)

Firefighting, for instance, is a primarily male-dominated career. Last year only four per cent of firefighters in Canada were women, according to statistics from EFRS. Edmonton was below the national average, with less than one per cent.

And the underrepresentation is seen in other law enforcement and front-line industries. That’s something Nikki Cloutier, the owner of Blue Line Fitness Testing, wanted to change. Cloutier says she recognized the barriers many women feel they face when seeking a career on the front lines and wanted to open their eyes.

“A lot of times I get females come out for their fitness testing and they’re like ‘I don’t know if I can do this career, I don’t know if I’m strong enough, I don’t know if I’m assertive enough, confident enough,’” said Cloutier.

“And I just want to show them that the skillset women bring to these careers are so important. We’re amazing communicators, we are so empathetic, we have a great skillset that can be brought in and excel at these careers.”

RCMP, EPS, Alberta Sheriffs and more

The “Female First Responders Day” brought together women in uniform from many front-line agencies such as the RCMP, Alberta Sheriffs, EMS, Alberta Correctional Services, AHS peace officers, EPS, EFRS and Edmonton Transit peace officers.

“It’s amazing,” said Cloutier. “I’m literally surrounded by some of the best of the best in their careers, and they’re all women. We just want to have all of the females out there to come down, take a peek, get to talk to these recruiters, and figure out maybe one of these careers are for you.

“It isn’t just men doing these jobs, there are women. And not only are they amazing women, they are strong, they are confident, they are helpful and they are going to be there when these females move into those careers and act as mentors.”

Female First Responders Day in Edmonton June 25, 2023. (Laura Krause/CityNews)

Maday says meeting Cloutier is what really got the ball rolling and encouraged her to move forward with her curiosity about the industry.

“It’s just a great way to dive in and see what you’re getting into, and I thought it would be great to see all the different things, because I’ve only been focusing on police, and I wanted to look at other things beyond that,” said Maday.

‘Representation is huge’

And she’s far from the only one inspired by a woman in uniform.

Daisy vanRavenswaay, the outreach and recruitment liaison at EFRS, says the inspiration to become a firefighter started with meeting a woman with a badge. The process didn’t come without its doubts, though.

“I was really intimidated by the thought of joining the service,” said vanRavenswaay. “I remember when I wrote my aptitude test at the U of A for Edmonton Fire Rescue Services, I was standing in line to go into the Butterdome, and I remember not seeing any women standing in that line with me, it was just all men. And I didn’t know if I was going to be able to fit in, didn’t know if I would like the job or if I was going to be taken seriously, or if people would even like me.”

Fast forward a few years and vanRavenswaay, one of the few female firefighters in Edmonton, is now mentoring and inspiring women to take that same leap of faith. She’s a coordinator for the three-day Camp Inspire, which encourages women and gender minorities from all backgrounds to experience and learn firefighting skills first-hand.

“I think representation is huge in the services,” said vanRavenswaay. “I didn’t know I could be a firefighter until I met another woman in uniform and she said that I could do this job.

“And when you have events like this where women can come and meet other women in the field, feel safe to ask questions that relate to them and their bodies, and their experiences in this world, I think it’s huge. It offers opportunities to learn and ask questions that you might not feel safe asking otherwise.”

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