Katie Jo Benitz, who graduated from high school in 2021, is one of the newest firefighters of the Yakima Fire Department in Yakima, Washington. Being one of the latest trainees at the Yakima Fire Department, Benitz was surprised when her mother, Captain Bonnie Rogers, a fellow firefighter, joined her while battling a nearby wildfire earlier this month, Good Morning America (GMA) reported.
Benitz said she was inspired to join the male-dominated field because of her mother, the first female firefighter in her department in 2010. Benitz added that everything her mother has done for the family as a single mother with three kids, being in a field not frequented by women, and doing well so far in her career is an inspiration. She also thinks that her mother's chosen career is one of the coolest things she has ever seen, and it made her also want to become that inspiration for other girls to be interested in male-dominated fields, just like her mother has been for her.
Benitz's decision to enter the field came as no surprise to her mother, adding that when her daughter was about four years old and Rogers was going through paramedic school, she would help her study by holding flash cards and explaining certain things related to her studies.
The mother-daughter teamwork displays unity
The mother and daughter's fieldwork eventually collided for the first time in August when Benitz was called to help battle the Cow Canyon wildfire near the BBQ Flats in Selah, Washington. The mother-daughter firefighters had never crossed paths in the past, which was not unusual because they are both stationed about 90 minutes from each other.
Benitz revealed that Rogers was 20 miles away from her when the fire started, and she had wondered if her mother would go and say hi. Not long after that, they bumped into each other. Benitz said their crossing of paths was exciting as it was rare, knowing that as a captain, her mother could have been doing anything almost anywhere in the state.
Rogers, for her part, said she didn't think she would run into her daughter in the Cow Canyon assignment as a lot of people were working because of the fire's magnitude. The mother-daughter firefighters showed unity and teamwork in battling the wildfire.
According to NBC News, less than five percent of career firefighters are women; hence, the vanguard of female firefighters, paramedics, and elected officials is pushing and encouraging to make the profession more diverse.
The daughter felt fortunate working with her mom
Rogers being the captain, had a lot of responsibilities, and one of those was to check in on the different crews at the site, and while doing that, she heard a familiar laugh that she instantly recognized as her daughter's. The two greeted each other and stopped to take a photo which Benitz later posted on social media. She wrote in the caption that she's beyond fortunate to work with the amazing woman next to her side, who is her mom.
The mother-daughter firefighters then quickly got back to work. Different media outlets have picked up their story, and they hope they will inspire more people, specifically women, to become firefighters themselves.
In the United States, approximately 6,200 women currently work as full-time career firefighters and officers. Several hundred hold the rank of lieutenant or captain, and around 150 are district chiefs, battalion chiefs, division chiefs, or assistant chiefs, per Women in Fire.
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