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Health & Fitness

Focus on a Beverly Hills Firefighter: Fire Engineer Melissa Hillis

Meet Fire Engineer Melissa Hillis.

Any time I go to a dinner party, or get into a conversation in line at the grocery store, the topic always comes up: “What’s it like to be a woman working in a fire station?”

People are intrigued by women in predominantly male professions, especially one as physically and emotionally demanding as the occupation of a firefighter. Over the years I’ve noticed the line of questioning seems to have the same general theme, and that the public has common questions and curiosities about life as a woman firefighter. Here are the top five questions I usually get asked:

  • Do you have to pass the same physical tests as the men to get a job as a firefighter?
  • Where do you sleep?
  • Where do you shower?
  • Do the men treat you well?
  • What is the hardest thing about working for the fire department?


To find out the answers to these questions, click here.

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