‘As a female, why did you choose a career so different from the others?’
CPT Joanne Lee is the second female to be appointed a Fire Station Commander and First female to become a HazMat Fire Station Commander. The last female Station Commander was Samantha Loke in 2001. She was then in charge of Geylang Fire Station
Out of the present 120 fire and rescue personnel in Tuas Fire Station, only 10 of them are female. This adds up to less than one tenth of its total strength.
29 years old SCDF CPT Joanne Lee had overcame many obstacles to become the first female commander for a HazMat Fire Station. Now, she adds on to her portfolio as not only will she have to command over 120 fire and rescue personnel but she has to also constantly deal with incidences involving hazardous materials.
CPT Joanne was interviewed after the Change of Command parade on 2nd June 2011. She was asked ‘as a female, why did she choose a career so different from the others?’ She responded by saying that since young she had always wanted to be in a profession where she is able to save lives. She had wanted to be a doctor but she chose to study chemical engineering when she knew that SCDF is actively forming a team of professional HAzMAt Responders and requires personnel possessing knowledge of Hazardous Materials.
She further expressed that manpower and resource management will be her main challenges and even though she is working in a male dominated environment, she do not feel any different from her male counterparts.
‘Well Done CPT Joanne and all the Best in your new Posting as Station Commander’
Filed under: Events, In the Spotlight, Responder's diary Tagged: | CPt Joanne, Female, Fire Commander, Fire Fighter, Fire Station, SCDF, Singapore Civil Defence, Station Commander, Tuas Fire Station
