North Dakota city has just 1 female firefighter; With a different approach, neighboring town has 8

The only woman employed as a firefighter in the city of Fargo needed four tries to pass the entrance exams and finally get the job offer.

That was 13 years ago for Dawn Stollenwerk, who’s worked her way up to battalion chief and assistant fire marshal.

Fargo Fire Chief Steve Dirksen said since then, only one other woman has passed the physical agility test to be a firefighter and was offered a position, but ultimately turned it down.

The lack of women firefighters among Fargo’s 125 full-time staff is not for lack of effort.

“We are actively recruiting … but as of right now, I'm the only one,” Stollenwerk said. Across the Red River in Moorhead, there are no women on the staff of 37 active firefighters.

The lone female, Kayla Cross, former battalion chief and assistant fire marshal, left the department in February after being accused of refusing a sobriety test following a crash, a misdemeanor case that's still working its way through the courts.

Original Article