A new Glamour profile features Sarinya Srisakul, a New York City firefighter who’s dousing blazes when she isn’t responding to other disasters the city tosses on her plate. But saving lives and responding to EMS calls is only her day job; she’s also president of the United Women Firefighters, where she helps women mentally and physically train to become firefighters.
“I used to be the only woman in my area for years, but now I work with women,” Srisakul, 37, told Glamour. “They’re not in my firehouse, but they’re around. I go to fires, and I’m like, ‘Oh, there’s Martha! There’s Vanessa!’” Since 2013, thanks in part to Srisakul’s efforts, the number of women who are FDNY firefighters has nearly doubled, from 37 to 68.
Glamour notes that it can be “immensely comforting” to see that it’s a woman’s face coming to the rescue—particularly in cases of domestic violence, or EMS calls when a woman may be naked or unconscious. Plus, firefighting is thrilling, Srisakul says, and she wants other women to experience the feeling.
“Sometimes,” she says of wielding a hose aimed at the flames, “it’s like pissing into hell.”
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