Subj : 'Can't isn't in my vocabulary' - NZ's youngest female fire chief
To   : All
From : News
Date : Wed May 01 2024 01:41 pm

There's a brigade picture on the Whitikahu Volunteer Fire Brigade's Facebook
page. It's made up of tall, mostly older, almost all-white men - then there's
Christina Piercy.


Smaller than all of them, with blonde hair and bright blue eyes, she couldn't
be more out of place - but she's not a new recruit.


She's the fire chief.


Aged 28, she's also the youngest female fire chief in New Zealand's history.


Thirteen years ago, she was a local high school student who had heard the
local volunteer brigade needed help.


"I was at the bus stop one morning waiting for the school bus with two
friends. One of them had a dad in the fire brigade. He said, 'Oh yeah,
they're looking for recruits'. And I was like, how hard can it be?"


It turns out it was pretty hard. Initially, the physicality of the job caught
Piercy off guard, but she kept turning up. Week after week - call out after
call out.


"I was never as strong as them and never claimed to be but I had the
technique. I trained and I came every week - and I put everything into it,"
Piercy said.

While the physical challenges were tough, being a young female in a
male-dominated world was harder.


"It was a bit rough at the start. There were definitely some people who
didn't think females belonged in the fire service. They'd be like, 'What is
she doing here?'," shared Piercy.


Instead of facing those who doubted her head-on, Piercy had a different
tactic.


"Work hard in silence and let success be your noise.


"I have to pass the same assessment and course as you. So I'm going to go out
and do that. You can't argue with that. FENZ don't have a male versus female
standard. They have a standard, and if you pass, then you pass."


Piercy passed every course and every promotion. She never failed to pass.


Now, she stands with her all-male brigade as their leader. Whitikau Volunteer
Brigade's chief - and according to her team, they wouldn't have it any other
way.


"Best person for the job, 100%," said fellow volunteer David Best.


"She has a great leadership style so people don't step out of line. They know
their place, and everyone gets along and gets the job done," he said.


"She holds her own. All the boys are scared of her; she puts them in their
place," laughed team member Alex O'Leary.


That's where Piercy really excels. Watching her with her team, she doesn't
just hold her own - she can sass them right out of the station.

You gotta have banter around here, or you wouldn't survive. I set them on
their ass all the time with my comebacks," laughed Piercy with a smile that
proved the small exterior comes with a wicked side.


During a fire safety visit at her old primary school, Piercy took pride in
wearing the uniform. In the front row were young girls sitting where she once
sat.


Many of their dads served in the brigade but here was a beautiful young woman
with a "great ponytail" (their words) showing them they too could be a part
of the fire service.


In a team of 15 volunteers, she's currently the only woman.


While that comes with private toilet privileges, she plans to bring more
young women on board.


She wants all women, particularly younger ones, to know this is a place where
men and women can serve their communities.


"Can't - it's not a word in my vocabulary. If you want to go do it, you go do
it."

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