Fresh Loaf

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

When most people imagine firefighters, they rarely imagine women. Sharyl Chatman joined the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department four years ago. She is one of only 40 women in a department employing 1,045 people.

Why did Chatman become a firefighter? “It’s exciting. I like the variety [and] community involvement. It’s a brotherhood and sisterhood.”

“Imagine you’re trapped in a building with someone. You learn their family, their kids. You feel people’s grief.”

“We work 24 hours on and 48 hours off.”

Her first fire call was her most nerve-racking. “My first fire was the worst. There was a woman yelling, ‘My baby. My baby.’”

Before Chatman was a firefighter, she was a teacher. “I was a math instructor in a high school.”

On why there aren’t more women firefighters: “It’s a very physical job. We’ve lived in a patriarchal society. We are moving forward because our ancestors have fought.”

“I’ve been on a couple of calls and people said, ‘There’s a lady!’ It’s girl power, if you will.”

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