The Great Plains During World War II

Fifty Aggie Co-Eds Enter New Firemanship Course for Women

Stillwater Fire Station
Echoes With Girlish Giggles

STILLWATER, Feb. 15–OVER HALF A HUNDRED WIDE-eyed and excited college girls at A. and M. have found their place in civilian defense–that place is the firemanship training class opened to women by Stillwater fire chief, J. Ray Pence, who says there's a lot of fun in store for the feminine firefighters, even if the project is a serious and vital undertaking.

Although actual work with the hoses and ladders is included in the proposed work, the girls will give most of their service on the prevention and instruction sides. Pence has contended for quite a spell now that the logical thing to do is train the women–thus the present course has grown out of several months' effort on the part of the entire Stillwater fire department.

Believed to be the first of this kind in the nation, the course will require intensified study throughout the entire semester. Pence feels the importance of such training only will be recognized when some have been "graduated," and then an increased emphasis will be placed on this type of work throughout the country.

All instruction work will be carried through by Pence and assistant chiefs Don Thomas and Everett Huidburg. Men students will help with demonstrations and drills.

At the first lesson of the hen firefighters Saturday, the lovely lasses, all done out in slacks suits, were turned loose to explore the station and look over the trucks and equipment. They spied those shiny poles which firemen use instead of stairs when an alarm sounds in the night. This looked like fun and the bevy of beautiful belles took off for the second floor.

Giggle...giggle...whoops! One red-headed co-ed grabbed on to the pole like a monkey on a stick and left her wondering classmates oh-ing and ah-ing at her disappearing head. Giggle, giggle! Pause-silence. No more takers...the would-be firewomen walked down the stars...still eyeing those poles.

Now usually when women invade men's work, said men resent it...but not the regular firemen or firemanship student s at A. and M. They believe in getting the job done and place very little importance on who does it. Which is why, perhaps, that the weekly wash jobs on cars and equipment was saved up for the women firefighters first class.

After those long, white trucks were shiny and clean, and the washers were ruefully examining damaged manicures, one of those girls said it certainly did look funny to see three firemen hanging onto one little hose and why didn't each one grab a hose? She was promptly given a lesson in hosing...somewhat harder on pedestrians, passing cars and the building across the street than it was on her...but now she knows about the pressure in a fire hose which is turned on full blast.

Of course, much of the afternoon was spent in trying on helmets and the big, heavy coats and boots, and the girls were more concerned with how they looked than the practical value of the standard, modern equipment.

Chief Pence believes in letting the novelty of the situation wear off before he really puts the gals to work. But he did suggest in a mild tone that perhaps, during firemanship classes, the only paint jobs they were going to have time for were on the trucks...Three compacts snapped shut–and three future firefighters looked uncomfortable.

Maybe the siren does scare them, and some are still a bit leary about sliding down the poles, but the women of A. and M. have started firemanship training, and what's more–they'll finish it.