A female firefighter Danae Mines, an 11-year veteran of Engine Co. 60 in the South Bronx, is Ms. March in the 2015 FDNY Calendar of Heroes. She is the first female to have ever made it into the calendar, and, get this: She’s got all her clothes on! It’s the men who are scantily clad. Now there’s a switch, eh? It has always bugged me that in so many movies, women run around in their panties and bra (or less) while the men are fully clothed.
What an inspiring role model Mines is. She told CNN, “I think it’s great. I would love to inspire other women to come on the job.” There are only 41 women in the FDNY. That equals less than half of 1 percent. Mines said she wants to send the message to girls everywhere that you can do anything you set your mind to.
Mines told the New York Daily News that she has always wanted to be one of the firefighters featured in the annual calendar. “I was told that it was all guys,” said Mines. “They said if I made it in the calendar, I would look like a pinup girl.”
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But, Mines said, “I wasn’t going to let anyone tell me I couldn’t do what I wanted to do. I was determined.” So, when she saw an open call for FDNY firefighters posted on the wall of her firehouse in the Bronx last year, she went for it.
She’s proud to say that even if you’re from a poor Bronx neighborhood, “you can still make something of yourself.” She sure has. “I wanted my picture in the calendar so that young girls and young women can see me and know that they can do this job,” Mines shared.
Mines also said she is proud to represent the month of March because it is Women’s History Month. The 2015 Calendar of Heroes honors the 150th year of the FDNY and was photographed by celebrity photographer Patrick McMullan. It costs $15.95, and 100 percent of sales benefit the FDNY Foundation.
“It’s a great foundation for children, seniors, anyone that needs to know anything about fire safety,” firefighter Chris Breitenbach said in the CNN video. “It also raises money for us and for our training, which is great, too.”
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In the Daily News article, Mines said, “When I step foot into the firehouse, I have to be able to tell myself that I’m willing to risk my life to save someone else. I always go above and beyond, because that’s my job.”
It’s great to see her photographed in her work uniform. She looks beautiful and sexy, but the photo is tasteful and commands respect for her. Thank you to a true hero for fighting fires and for fighting against gender bias.
Yay for us #binders of women coming a long way, baby.
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