Tracy Burrus
Firefighter
City of Madison
Do you enjoy hands-on, physical work? Do you want to help your community through challenging and sometimes dangerous situations? If you are motivated, responsible and you work well as part of a team, firefighting may be the career for you. Learn more from veteran Madison firefighter Tracy Burrus.
by Lisa Goodman
How did you get interested in this field?
I had just gotten out of the Army where I had been a mechanic. I always sort of thought I'd end up doing something hands-on. I was finishing college at Western Illinois University and had two part time jobs; one waiting tables and another working as a parking enforcement agent for the college. I worked with a campus police officer who encouraged me to apply for the campus police department. Policing didn't interest me. Then he said, "You seem to like physical work, what about applying for the fire department?"
As I went through the application process, I didn't think much about it. I just kind of went on with my life. I barely even talked about it with my friends. (The hiring process took nearly a year from the initial application until hiring decisions were made. Very few places have a fast hiring process. In most places it takes almost a year.) I just kept showing up for each step along the way, first the application, then the written test, and then the physical fitness test. When I reached the interview stage, I started thinking about it more. I realized it could happen! Then they hired me and I went to the academy. I knew in the first week that I was going to love it. After that, I remember looking back and really feeling glad that I didn't blow something along the way in the hiring process.
What are the specific tasks that your job entails?
If there are no emergency calls, this is what would happen on a typical day: We work a 24-hour shift. You need to be there no later than 6:45 a.m. and be ready to go on a call at 7:00. It takes 5 or 10 minutes to get my gear on and look over my area. I'm a firefighter so I sit in the back of the truck. There are specific tools and medical equipment that I check out in the morning. I recently took the test to be a driver, so lately I've been a substitute driver. That makes my morning checklist a little longer because I have to account for the entire vehicle --all of the hoses and equipment.
At 7:00 we meet over coffee to talk about what's going to happen that day. There could be a training session to attend, or a school fire drill or a community education event. Or we might clean an area of the building from top to bottom. We're also strongly encouraged to work out for an hour at some point during the day.
Every day, everybody is responsible for cleaning some area. Then we go to the store to shop for lunch and dinner. Everybody throws in $10 for groceries, and somebody cooks. Back at the station we start projects, maybe training or building maintenance. Anywhere along the way --we could be on the way to the store-- we could have an emergency call. After lunch we generally train. If we don't have to be somewhere for an official training, we will practice something at the station. Sometimes we have training courses on the computer. For example, we can log into a PowerPoint training to learn a new piece of equipment for getting into locked cars. The training day is over at 5 p.m. After dinner we may read a book or watch a movie. Your family may come and visit for a little while before bedtime. For the rest of the night, we’re available to go on calls until we leave in the morning. (Madison firefighters work 48 hours a week and a total of ten or eleven 24-hour shifts each month.)
In my seven years here, there have only been four times that I have gone a full shift without an emergency call. At our station, there are days when we have two calls and there are times when we run all day, it varies. Certain calls come at certain times of the year, like during fall when people start firing up their furnaces for the first time. In the summer there are a lot more lake rescue calls. We all know the basics, but there are special teams for specific types of rescue situations, like the SCUBA team.
There's so much information, there has to be continuous training. Sometimes you'll use a piece of equipment daily, this one you'll use once a month and this one once a year, if that. So you really do have to pull stuff out and practice with it.
What is your educational background?
I have a Bachelors degree in Sociology. The City of Madison requires that firefighter applicants be 18 years old and have a high school diploma.
What other kinds of steps did you take to prepare for your job?
Someone interested in this line of work could get an associates or a bachelors in Fire Science or Fire Management. You could go to a community or technical college and take Firefighter 1 and Firefighter 2, which give the coursework and hands-on skills to pass the state exam. You could also take an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) course or Paramedic course. Those would all give you a leg up if you were interested in this sort of career.
In my hiring group of 14, probably half of us had prior experience from somewhere else, and half didn’t. O f those who didn’t, some had taken a Firefighter 1 or 2 or an EMT course. Madison hires from across the board. But in some other cities, you are required to have Firefighter 1 and 2, or an EMT or be a Paramedic already.
How do you use technology to do your job?
The thermal imaging camera is awesome. It detects heat. We use it to find people during search and rescue. We also use it during fires. Sometimes it's hard to find the fire --especially at night or with a lot of thick smoke-- it's not always glowing right in front of you, like on TV. With the camera, you don't have to wander around feeling for heat. It’s also a great tool for making sure the fire is out. One time we put out a fire in someone’s attic where there was a lot of loose insulation. Afterward, I was downstairs looking up at the ceiling through the thermal imaging camera. All of a sudden, I saw a small circle of heat. Sure enough it was a little spot where the fire was still burning. When we went up and dug through the insulation, it was hard to find with the naked eye.
We have mobile data computers in engines, ladders and rescue squads. The computer can give us a street map to help find a better route. It also gives us background information on a call. If a potentially dangerous person is present, it will direct firefighters to wait for police. It lets us text information privately to other units, rather than having to use the radio where people can listen in. We also have computers at every station for work and for department email.
Do you think that women are or can be treated differently from men in your field?
I have never run into anything bad at the department I worked at in Illinois, or here in Madison. In Illinois, even though it was a small town ---there were 21 of us, with only two women-- they were very progressive. My boss said, “This is how it's going to work, and everybody is going to be on board.” It really helps when that message comes from the top.
When I decided to go to a bigger city, Madison stood out as probably one of the top 20 departments in the country with a lot of women.
My advice to any one thinking about this career is to talk to people at the place you want to work. Talk to the women there, talk to different men there and get the feel for it. Because there is the potential in a male-dominated field that you might not be very welcome.
In any line of work, there are going to be individuals that have issues. But if you can just remind them of the direction that they're moving, and the consequences of that, then they usually fix it.
When you think about your workplace, what departments or fields do most of the women work in?
Here in Madison, women are represented in every area: in the training division, inspection, community education; as chiefs and lieutenants (Madison’s fire chief is a woman); they’re paramedics, engineers, and on special teams.
Out of nearly 300 firefighters, at least 40 are women. Pretty much every day I’m either working with another woman, or I see several other women during the day.
Salary: How much does a woman typically earn in this line of work?
Madison has one of the top pay scales and some great education incentives. The current starting rate is just over $40,000 a year. A lieutenant with a bachelors degree may earn in the mid $70’s.
For the first year and a half on the job, you are on probation. The first 3 ½ years of service as a firefighter are an apprenticeship. When the apprenticeship is over, firefighters get a raise. With a high school education, the standard raise is 9%; those with an associates degree get more, a bachelors degree gets 18% more, and a masters gets an additional 22%. You can also earn an extra 1.5% for being on special teams, 5% more for drivers, 10% for paramedics. There's a very strong union here.
Do you think a woman’s appearance affects if she is hired to do a job or how people around her relate to her at work?
I think appearance does make people think certain things. Looking fit is the biggest thing. If you look fit, people are more inclined to think you can do it, regardless of whether you have long or short hair or wear makeup or don’t. Short, tall, none of that matters. There was a woman in my class who is short --she is a pixie-- and she does fitness competitions and she is good at this job. But there are also men on the job who are her size. And then here is somebody who is 6'10" and there are things they can't do that a smaller person can, so you need a mix of people. It really is kind of a team sport. It works because there are 4 to 6 of us, and everybody contributes some how.
Did your family support your decision to pursue this career?
I definitely get strong support at home from my family.
Is there anything else you would like to tell girls about your career or how you got there?
The biggest thing is don't second-guess yourself or let anybody else make you feel like you shouldn't be there, if that's what you want to do. There may still be one person who asks you “Do you really want to do that?” --Well would you say that to any one or are you just saying that to me? Really have it in your mind that you belong there and you can have that and you should have it, just like any one else. Don't make apologies for wanting to be something --in your own head, or to other people.
For more information visit:
http://www.cityofmadison.com/fire/
International Association of Women in Fire and Emergency Services
http://www.i-women.org/
About the interviewer and writer: A person with many interests and multiple careers, Lisa Goodman was trained in conservation biology, natural resources and journalism. Her path has taken her from field to lab, to canoe, to office, and most recently to construction sites. Along the way she has written about paddlesports, natural resources, community heroes, and remarkable women. She is honored to be helping share the stories of the women profiled here. To contact her, email: lfgoodman09(atsign)gmail.com.
About Madison's Fire Chief Debra Amesqua
Debra Amesqua was named Chief of the City of Madison Fire Department in 1996. She is the ninth Chief in the Department’s history and the first woman to hold the position. At the time of her appointment, she was one of only seven women Chiefs among the 32,000 Fire Departments in the Country!
Chief Amesqua is nationally recognized for her work on senior-level management training for fire service women and breaking down barriers for people of color. Among her many credentials, Chief Amesqua has a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in Business & Management as a Wingspread Scholar at Alverno College in Milwaukee.
About the City of Madison Fire Department
The City of Madison Fire Department protects 67 square miles with 11 fire stations. 317 commissioned and non-commissioned personnel staff the MFD. The Department operates seven Advanced Life Support ambulances staffed by Firefighter Paramedics. The Department is a regional Haz-Mat Team provider for the State of Wisconsin and supports special teams in Lake Rescue, Heavy Urban rescue, Rapid Intervention Team, and in 07, Tactical Emergency Medical Service. The City of Madison has a rising population of 217,000. The City of Madison Fire Department provides services, including mutual aid, to a metropolitan population in excess of 450,000.
