The Twin Cities Female Firefighter Fitness program, or TCF 3, is helping women prepare for careers in the fire service by training them to meet the physical fitness requirements.
Twice a month, women interested in becoming firefighters get together to work out.
TCF 3 Founder Sarah Reasoner shared: “When they call 911, they’re calling you on your worst day and they need you to come and save them. You have to be physically ready for that.”
Reasoner described what a day of training looks like- starting in a small classroom. After a quick introduction and breakdown of what the job entails, the group moves outside, and the real work begins.
One participant, Nemi Lobel, shared: “It’s not always going to be a controlled environment. You got to work no matter rain snow or shine.”
According to the National Fire Protection Association, only 9% of firefighters in the US are women. However, the TCF 3 Wants to change that and push women to rise to the challenge.
St. Paul Fire Captain Kate Heckaman added: “We’re expected to show up and do the same job as our male counterparts.
“We want the push the women to not just reach the bar, we want them to crush glass ceilings. We want them to show up and be undeniable that they deserve to be there, because we do.”
Fitness Coach Jessica Stopera said: “It takes courage to show up for the job as a firefighter and for these new people it takes that courage, too, to just show up.
“It’s been really fun watching the group grow, watching the events grow and like just watching more and more women come in and be like, ‘yeah, I want to do that.'”
According to the participants, the program also builds more than strength — it builds community.
Katherine Fischenich said of her experience: “I’ve been surrounded by just really strong, amazing, inspiring women that have showed me that I can do the job if I put the work into it.”
Nemi Lobel added: “I never felt like I belonged so much to a group of people.”
Mai Kindler, another participant summarized her experience with the simple sentiment: “It’s not easy but it’s fun, it’s challenging and I love it”
The Twin Cities Female Firefighter Fitness program trains aspiring female firefighters to meet the physical fitness requirements.
