LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – The Louisville Fire Department is drawing attention to a problem it hopes to change soon.

Currently, there is at least one fire station that is so old that it cannot set up mixed dormitories and therefore cannot employ female firefighters there.

Captain Jamill Greene shows the cramped conditions in his fire station.

“Next is our dormitory. It’s pretty old-fashioned. A lot of the newer fire stations in town have their own bedrooms. This is an open dormitory concept. Again, all three shifts sleep here. We try to spread each other out,” Greene said.

Fire Station 23 serves the Iroquois neighborhood, but has now outgrown the nearly 70-year-old facility.

“As you can see, there isn’t much room here. It’s probably the smallest locker room in town. But that’s because we have such a small firehouse,” Greene said.

The limited space is not the only problem.

Interior view of the dorm-like facility at Engine 23 Fire Station. (Spectrum News 1/Khyati Patel)

“Built in 1955, long before there were women in the Louisville Fire Department, and we can’t house women in this firehouse,” said Lt. Col. Assistant Chief Bobby Cooper.

He explains that the 1950s were a different time and women were not as interested in the profession.

“Part of this work is that our demographics have changed. Our workforce has traditionally been white males and we recognize that having a diverse workforce is beneficial,” Cooper said.

He says the building is no longer adequate for staff, especially given efforts to recruit more women to the force and the number of calls they receive that are not just about firefighting.

“Research shows that diverse work groups are more creative and better at solving problems. And that’s what we do every day: People call us and let us solve their problems. And when we’re a diverse work group, we can solve those problems much more effectively and efficiently, whether it’s racial or gender,” Cooper said.

In April, Mayor Craig Greenberg (D-Louisville) acknowledged the need for long-term investments in his budget address. Future budgets will require, for example, investments in replacing aging fire trucks and fire stations.

“I can’t stress it enough. I think the mayor’s administration is doing a great job here. Chief O’Neil is doing a great job of being transparent, open and honest and saying we’re trying to make our staff more diverse. We want a more diverse workforce. And part of that is encouraging us and improving our facilities to have that diversity, no matter what demographic you come from, but particularly women, to make this profession more enticing and attractive to women, because right now, the truth is, it’s not,” Cooper said.

Through their efforts, they hope to forge a new direction and pave the way for future firefighters – be they men or women.

“Our slogan is hard days, harder nights. So you might run 10 times during the day and leave the bedroom six times. You just never know,” Greene said.

Cooper said the department has 20 female firefighters. He also explained that the department, the city and various municipal agencies are in the initial stages of gathering information and research before taking the next steps. Of the department’s 21 fire stations, five facilities are less than 50 years old and seven are more than 100 years old, Cooper said.