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MONTROSE, N.Y. Zaneta Thompson became the Montrose Fire Department's fifth active female firefighter Thursday evening after completing the Firefighter 1 training course, which requires more than 100 hours of training.
"I wanted to join Montrose since I was younger, but I was intimidated by all the guys. They were bigger than me, so it was a little scary in the beginning, but some of the firefighters in Montrose helped me to get the application and be more open about what I want to do," said Thompson.
The only woman in her training class, Thompson said she was asked on the first day what it was like to be a female firefighter.
"I never thought about it, but there arent many women firefighters and it's a hard job, too, but nobody ever told me I couldn't do it," she said.
"They're not treated as a female, they're not treated as a male, they're treated as a firefighter," said Rob Porter, second assistant chief of the Montrose department.
There are more than 80 active firefighters in the Montrose Fire Department, said Porter.
A recent Hendrick Hudson High School graduate, Thompson is about the enter Mercy College to study criminal justice. She said her ultimate goal is to become a police officer after earning a bachelor's degree.
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