“Everyone has fear, and someone who doesn’t have it or claims to have it, there’s something wrong with that,” says the first professional firefighter Michaela Žďárská, who serves at the emergency unit in Prague’s Holešovice. According to her, fear prevents a person from doing rash things. In order to become a professional firefighter, she herself had to demonstrate sufficient mental and physical endurance. What is it like to work only among men?
You can watch the entire interview in the introductory video or listen to it in your favorite podcast app. What were its main themes?
1:08 – 4:48 The first professional firefighter, Michaela Žďárská, has completed a twelve-week induction course. What did she complete in it? How did she manage to fit into the all-male team and what tests did her colleagues put her through? Did she ever feel like she had to prove something to them and was envious of having the firehouse bathroom and bedroom all to herself?
4:48 – 5:47 Why she got a little rude among the firefighters and that a firefighter must be orderly, even if he is a man.
5:47 – 8:18 How important is trust between firefighters, what was the last intervention and how difficult was it. What do firefighters even do when they don’t have to intervene somewhere?
8:18 – 10:30 Žďárská was originally a clerk – how did she decide she wanted to change her profession? What did her surroundings say about it?
10:30 – 12:25 What does he fear at work and why is it important for this type of profession to have it. How long can you be a firefighter, and that it’s more about fitness than age.
12:25 – 17:00 What physical tests did she have to pass before joining the professional unit and how did she prepare for the exams.
17:00 – 18:44 About the fact that she is no longer the only woman in the departure unit and she would like to inspire not only women but also men to take this career path.
