COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Local women are serving as an inspiration right here in our community, being heroic on the front lines.
Only nine women are part of the College Station Fire Department.
“Firefighting for me was actually a calling,” firefighter Shannon Mauras said. “One day, I just knew I was supposed to be a firefighter. I asked my husband what he thought, and he said of course, everything in life is pointing to this and here we are.”
For the past four years, Mauras has been part of the College Station Fire Department.
“I got my start as a volunteer firefighter at Precinct 3 and they were awesome,” Mauras said. “They trained me up. I got to do a lot of calls. They assisted me through fire academy and EMT school. They are my roots here.”
Being a woman in the fire service, Mauras has overcome some challenges.
“I’m a mom,” Mauras said. “I’ve got two kiddos at home so I’ve had a lot of good church support, community support, and of course, my husband being the rock out here, helping me and my family out so we can do this, make the dream happen.”
She works the C-shift: 24 hours on and 48 hours off but said it’s a good family-work balance.
“I’ve really liked having more experienced women in our department,” Mauras said. “They’ve really took on a mentorship role for me, showed me the ropes, how to be good at the job and keep on getting better.”
Mauras enjoys serving people from all different walks of life while on the job.
“We’re able to connect with the patients in a different way,” Mauras said. “I believe I bring a level of empathy. Sometimes, all people need is to be heard and I think that’s something special that I bring to my crew and to this department.”
Stuart Marrs helps recruit for the fire department and connect women with one another in the fire industry.
“I connect them with women like Shannon and our other women who are out in the field and running on these calls and get them together on the phone by email so they can get their questions answered about what it’s really like to work in the fire service so they can get a true feel from someone who’s been doing it for a few years,” Marrs said.
“Don’t be afraid,” Mauras said. “We take people of all levels of all experience. I was a teacher before this, and I worked in residential ministries, so you don’t have to come from a certain background or certain education to be a firefighter. We all have something to bring to the table.”
The College Station Fire Department is currently made up of six percent female firefighters while according to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, women make up only five percent of the fire service.