Being a firefighter hadn’t always been a career goal for Haida Fortier, mainly because she had never been aware it was one that existed.
To a young Fortier, firefighters were big burly men with Popeye-style muscles and a bushy upper lip. Now, as the 55-year-old enters her retirement and reflects on a career that has spanned multiple divisions in the North Vancouver City Fire Department, not pursuing a role simply because of gender seems absurd.
For the past two decades, Fortier has worked tirelessly to smash misconceptions about the firefighting industry. Most notably with Camp Ignite, a girls' firefighting camp that she created with a group of other firefighting women in 2010.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be a big part of the way things have changed over the past 20 years or so,” Fortier says over the phone from her new home on Vancouver Island, where she’s settling into her first few days of retirement.
“We weren't really seeing a lot of growth of women coming into the fire service – it was around three-to-five per cent for quite a long time. This meant that, from a grassroots perspective, those of us on the frontlines were able to come together to really make a difference.”
The program is a four-day event with classes that cover everything from fitness and nutrition, to the basic fundamentals of fire suppression. Aspiring firefighters can try their hand at technical rope rescues and hazmat operations, as well as activities that cover handling fire hydrants and climbing ladders, but the program’s true raison d’etre is simply making young women aware that these opportunities exist.
“It’s about giving them mentorship and support, and opening their eyes at young ages to the possibility of a career in the fire service,” she said, adding how there are many women who, “if they don’t see it, it’s hard to imagine being it.”
She recalls her own penny-drop moment: stumbling across her first female firefighter while doing committee clerk work for the city of Vancouver in her early twenties. She had always been “entranced” with the emergency services, but had never known women could succeed in the field.
“I saw this woman and was like, ‘Oh my god, women can be firefighters too?' I had no idea.”
The chance happening ignited a fire in the belly that ensured Fortier would flourish in firefighting, no matter which area she chose to work in.
“I have taken this really unique path where there isn't really all that much that I haven't done in the fire service,” she said, reflecting on a career that began in administration – learning all the behind-the-scenes work like finance, payroll and company bylaws – passed through dispatch work and wound up primarily in fire prevention. Fortier completed her twenty-one year career with the North Vancouver City Fire Department as captain, and her succeeding years at the District of North Vancouver as assistant fire chief.
Her collection of certificates garnered over the years could collage an entire office wall, and her side projects continue to grow and impact swathes of female firefighters. Earlier this year, Fortier and six firefighting comrades created Fire Services Women BC, a new non-profit that supports women in all areas of firefighting, including volunteers, those who work in the military, others who tackle wildfires and women who work in First Nations communities. A thriving support network, it is a safe space for discussions on everything from job growth to maternity leave.
To say that women can’t excel in the firefighting business would not simply be bigoted and outdated, but, as Fortier's accolades attest to, factually untrue. Certainly there are leaps and bounds being made, but are there still issues regarding sexism in the workplace? “Oh absolutely,” she said. “But I tend to think of those naysayers as just the vocal minority. They’re just not well-informed.”
Instead, Fortier would rather focus her attention on the work that is being done to remedy the situation. The countless girls who are looking for guidance, and the even greater number of women who are excelling in their careers thanks to the efforts of Fortier and her team. She explains how many past pupils have approached her to give her their thanks, crediting her for playing a large and positive role in their future.
It is a large part of the reason behind Fortier's happy retirement. She feels content with the work achieved, she said, and now feels like the right time to take a step back.
“This has been a great career. I’ve impacted not only the direction of the fire service in BC, and the fire service on the north shore, but I’ve had so many great opportunities to collaborate," she said. "I’ve had such an impact on young women and their careers.
That’s not to say Fortier will spend retirement resting on her laurels. With her fingers in many industry pies, including Fire Service Women BC and a teaching role for the Justice Institute of BC, a new island abode to set up and even a new puppy, Jasper, to train, she has plenty to keep her busy now and long into her golden years.
Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News' Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
