INTERVIEW ON THE PRICE OF BUSINESS SHOW, MEDIA PARTNER OF THIS SITE.

Recently Kevin Price, Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business Show, welcomed Penelope Camarata to provide another commentary in a series.

The Penelope Camarata Commentaries

Roughly 4% of firefighters are women. Statistically, there are more women, around 14% are either in the military or in Law Enforcement. The usual explanation for such a low percentage is that women simply aren’t up to the extreme physical demands of the job. Any effort to increase their numbers in the fire service, the argument goes, would mean a dangerous erosion of the fitness standards needed for firefighting.

But what if we’re thinking about the problem all wrong? What if qualities like compassion and warmth — stereotypically associated with women — are just as necessary for success in firefighters as “masculine” traits like strength and stamina?

That attitude has largely gone away, but other struggles remain. The way to increase acceptance of women in the fire service, they propose, is to have a more balanced view of what it
takes to be a good firefighter. Traits like empathy, which are thought of as feminine, are just as legitimate and critical to success as traditionally masculine traits, they say. Emphasizing those qualities can make it easier to
imagine women in a firefighter’s job.

I’m not going to tell you the mainstream advice that everyone hers or reads in countless articles about the stigma’s women face daily on any shiftwork that they are assigned. We as women know that the careers, we love were originally designed with the thinking that only men would apply and be accepted automatically into a First Responder or military role. These stigmas that have been in place in any paramilitary organization for years, knows that once something is there, it’s hard to break the cycle or change the views of those that believe and live for these parameters that keep them (men) safe from being overrun by the female gender.

Last week, I listened to a video by Pastor R.C. Blakes, Jr called, ‘Never Continue with A Man That Shames You’ and it was a real eye opener. He brought up a lot of good valid points that was related to a woman’s personal life, but the more he talked about this behavior men have, I started relating it to my professional life and comparing it to the treatment I have heard so many women talk about in support groups on Facebook for Female First Responders. How do we as female First Responders find ways to fix the biases and stigmas that will always be in our career choices. I don’t believe that quitting is the answer to solving the stigmas.

Women who have careers in any male dominated field need to have the confidence mentally, emotionally, and physically to stand up for what they fought for in their education to get to where their dreams have led them today. There’s a saying I like to keep posted in my journals and on my computer screen that says, ‘One voice whispered to another person, can soon become a loud enough voice through thousands that no one can ignore’.

How do we accomplish this, you may ask. Instead of attacking and becoming defiant or withdrawn, let’s not make this about the scared men who came up with these stigmas and the men today. The men who made the rules are dead. It’s the followers that need silenced but not at the expense of our self-respect, our values, morals, and ideals. As we have raised daughters of all cultures and races, it’s time we made a positive stand without inviting the men along. Someone at St. Catherine’s University wrote a paper in April 2021 about how women can overcome the barriers in Female Leadership. They were talking about business leaders, but women leaders can be anywhere. After reading the article, at the very end, they came up with some great positive strategies for women. Female Leadership Programs, Mentoring and Sponsorship Programs, strategically promoting equity through Human Resources, and communicating more effectively with your supervisors about career advancement goals.

How can Female First Responders get this training? I have developed a 3-day workshop to help any Female First Responder, veteran (active or retired), and Frontline Worker get the confidence and knowledge to help move past the stigmas and biases and becoming your own advocate.

https://internal-consciousness.ueniweb.com/price-list/health-well-being-for-the-first-responder#pl-cat-271dd6a7-021f-42d6-9c22-ecbbb6a7df44-9b12ddfc-7a73-44cf-947a-6fbf05b0ffec-name

I am a 6-1/2 year veteran as an EMT-Basic in Philadelphia, PA where I also dispatch for a private ambulance company. I started my business, Internal Consciousness after I had to deal with a mentally traumatic event that occurred in my life just as I was finishing EMT school. A Philadelphia Police Lieutenant took his own life on my youngest daughter’s 17^th birthday. I didn’t find out about his death until the day before I finished my EMT testing where I basically pushed it to the back of my mind for 3 years. I then spiraled down to the 8^th gate of Dante’s Hell and realized I didn’t want to end up like my friend but was stuck on how to ‘fix’ myself. I started looking into alternative therapy because I could not find anything that focused on First Responders in Philadelphia. I found and worked my way through Reiki, Groups therapy for First Responders only, creative journaling, and somatic breathwork. I am currently working on my certification for Ayurvedic Medicine and Nutrition and finishing up another certification in Sound Healing.

The best place for people to check out what I do is at https://internal-consciousness.ueniweb.com.