P.G. fire halls to install female washrooms

Prince George fire halls are going to become more female friendly.

Among the projects slated to be approved for funding in the city's 2014 budget is the installation of female washrooms in three of the city's four fire halls.

"Our downtown fire hall meets the code for public for now, but our Halls 2, 3 and 4 have just one male washroom," said Fire Rescue Service deputy chief Blake King.

King didn't have an estimate for the cost of the work, but almost $1.4 million has been indicated as approved for various city facility projects next year.

Expanding the washroom facilities at the fire halls is something that has been on the fire department's to-do list for some time, said King. "It's something that we need to get done," he said. "It's time to move with the times."

The timing of the funding couldn't come at a better time, given the fire department is on track to hire its first female firefighter, something King said is long overdue.

"And I don't know why because there's females in Vancouver, Abbotsford, in most fire departments," said King. "And it's not our hiring practices, they meet the standards, so that's kind of odd."

One woman applied in the last recruitment round and made it through the process - which includes aptitude testing, physical ability assessment, interview and medical examination - to land a spot on the eligibility list of probationary firefighters, King said.

That list is where the department hires from when positions become available.

"We've had, I think, two or three [women] in the past that have applied in the competition, but haven't made it past testing," said King.

"She's on that list and it's just a matter of how many retirees we have over the next year as to when we get there," he said.