Ermita 9: ‘Women can be good in fighting fire’

If you had ever thought that firefighting is a man’s job, you have not been around much, or at least have not been to Manila’s Ermita district.

Meet 27-year-old Esther "Cathy" Tran Chan. On an ordinary day, you cannot pick her out of a crowd with her ordinary long hair and ordinary casual clothes.

But there is nothing ordinary about Cathy, better known by her call sign "Ermita 9," as she is an active component of the 25-member Ermita Malate Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association whose base is found along Remedios Street.

A member of the squad since its inception in 1998, Cathy, a naturalized Filipino-Vietnamese, volunteered to be a firefighter to prove a point, that women can be or even be better than men in fighting fires.

"I really wanted to fight fires. I watched firefighters in action and I think it (firefighting) is an exciting activity. I want to prove that women can also do it like the men volunteers," said Cathy, a resident of Nakpil Street, who was born in Saigon, Vietnam.

Cathy who has just celebrated her birthday last July 18, is married to Edwin Chan, "Ermita 8", the squad’s fire chief and with whom she shares two lovely daughters Liberty, 4, and Jackielyn, 9.

When she is not busy being a housewife and a mother, Cathy spends most of her time at the squad’s headquarters. Her normal duties include checking and maintaining all equipment, including the vital breathing tanks, hoses, firetrucks and tankers.

But when the fire alarm sounds, Cathy drops everything, dons the heavy brown and yellow protective suit, boots and helmet and clambers up the squad’s "Twin Engine" firetruck (one of the squad’s three firetrucks) and assumes her role as the truck’s nozzle man, or should we say, nozzle person.

As nozzle man, Cathy, with her usual partner, Jerome Co, man the powerful nozzle hose as they force their way into burning buildings or houses.

"I am always confident with her around. I know that she could do what any man could do during tight situations," said Jerome, Cathy’s "lineman" for the last four years.

And Cathy’s job is by no way easy. Arriving at the fire scene, it is Cathy’s job as nozzleman of the "Twin Engine" to aim the hose at the fire source and accurately deliver the truck’s payload of 500 gallons of water. At her side is Jerome who makes sure that the hose does not swing wildly during the operation.

According to Edwin, the squad’s fire chief, his wife Cathy is not the only lady volunteer firefighter in the rosters of volunteer firefighters brigades in Metro Manila.

Edwin says that out of the 35 volunteer fire brigades in Metro Manila, at least five have lady firefighters . Included in this number is the Binondo Youth Volunteer Fire Brigade that has two lady firefighters.

However, he admits that the number of female volunteer firefighters is still small compared to their male counterparts. Edwin says that even their umbrella organization, the Association of Volunteer Fire Chiefs and Firefighters Association has apparently been reluctant in allowing more women to join their ranks.

"Our mother organization prefers that women volunteers only be assigned to emergency medical services and kept away from where the fire really is. This is why we have Cathy with us. We want to prove a point that women can be good firefighters as any other man. With the proper training and endurance, any woman could be a firefighter," said Edwin.

Though the Ermita-Malate volunteer fire squad has three women in their team, it is only Cathy who is trained as a firefighter. The other two women in the squad are trained as EMS or paramedic personnel.

When the fire alarm sounds, Cathy and the rest of her responding crew members put their lives in harm’s way.

Cathy remembers at least two incidents when she was nearly seriously hurt while battling the flames and trying to save lives.

During a big fire in Quiapo’s Islamic Center, burning debris and shards of glass rained on her as she entered a burning house. Fortunately, she was not seriously hurt as she was wearing her helmet. In another big fire four years ago, she was met by flying arrows as she and her crewmates entered a burning squatter’s colony in Barangay Pinyahan in Quezon City.

"They (colony residents) ganged-up on my team and asked us to put out the fire in their houses first. When we refused, they attacked us with arrows. Fortunately, no one was hurt and we managed to put out the fire," Cathy said.

But despite the danger of her job, Cathy says she would not exchange it for any other.

"There is a certain thrill when I climb up ladders and jump from one rooftop to another. Yes, I feel the danger everytime I reach the fire scene. But danger is part of our job. No amount of danger could stop me from doing my job and getting the satisfaction that I have helped save lives. There is nothing that could match the feeling one gets when people approach you to say thanks," she said.

Though she would not want her two daughters to follow in her steps as a firefighter, gutsy Cathy readily encourages other women to engage in activities that would be categorized as "masculine."

"We can do more. Firefighting like any other activity is not for men only. With the proper training and attitude, we can take on activities that were previously deemed as for men only. There is a certain satisfaction one gets from doing things that people would not normally think you are capable of," she said.

So better start looking around. You may never know that when a fire hits, a lady firefighter just like Cathy might be there to give you that needed hand.