Michelle was the only woman in the 2005 recruit class in the Fresno, Calfornia Fire Department. Out of over 1100 applicants for the academy, Michelle received the 30th highest ranking. Yet from the very first day that she joined the academy, she was treated differently based on her sex. Michelle, who is a professional-caliber athlete, was told that she could not be successful in the fire department as a mother. The male supervisor responsible for evaluating her in the academy, and some of the male recruits in her class, told her that women do not belong in fire service. Michelle was eventually kicked out of the fire academy even though she was performing better than male recruits who remained.

Michelle came to ERA for help. On November 13, 2009, after a closely-watched sex discrimination trial against the City of Fresno, the jury found in favor of Michelle, awarding her $2.46 million in damages. ERA and the Oakland law firm of Siegel & Yee represented Michelle in the lawsuit. The case is Maher v. City of Fresno, et al., Case No. 08-CV-00050-OWW-SMS, United States District Court, Eastern District of California. Read ERA’s press release about Michelle’s victory here.

After the verdict, one juror hugged Michelle and said, “If my son were trapped in a burning building, I would want you to be the fire fighter to save him.” Michelle was overjoyed at the verdict: “I felt numb, for the past few years I have been telling my story over and over again. Now I can finally move on with my life.”

Unfortunately, decades after many fire departments have opened their doors to female firefighters, fire service still remains a male-dominated profession. According to a October 2011 article in the San Jose Mercury News, nationally, only 3.7% percent of firefighters and paramedics are women.

Working in an environment free of sex discrimination and sex-based stereotypes is crucial to the entry, retention and promotion of women in male-dominated professions like fire service. ERA needs your support to combat hiring barriers and glass ceilings for women who work in majority-male industries.

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