Of the 144 emotional students at The National Fire and Rescue Training School in Rishon Lezion who received their firefighter badge Wednesday after successfully completing two months of extensive training, three were women. They join the 1,900 firefighters, 15 of whom are women, who play an important role in Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services.

Of the three new female recruits, two are married with children. Inbal Sade, 36, a mother of two from Netivot, said, “This work is much more than a job to me. It’s a realization of my potential and a great love that only someone who saves lives for a living could possibly understand. I don’t see myself doing anything else, and I don’t understand how I didn’t start much earlier. It’s a little difficult for people to accept that a mother ‘goes missing’ from the home for twenty-four hours. Of course, it can be a little difficult, especially on the weekends or during the holidays, but for me, it’s the combining of two great loves, and it’s easy when your husband is as supportive and encouraging as mine.”

Maya Aloni, a mother of four, worked at the Azrael Station in Afula for five years before completing her training to become a firefighter. “I live in Kfar Yehezkel, and my worldview is ”we are all equal,'” Aloni said. “The essence of firefighting is teamwork, where every person utilizes his or her own strengths. I contribute no less, and sometimes more, than any other firefighter, and I believe that the integration of women into operational units is necessary for a better future, for the Fire and Rescue Commission and society as a whole.”

Sharon Drucker, 32, serves at the Rishon Lezion station. “I enlisted as an operational fighter, and with time I learned that work in the field is diverse and that we are responsible for much more than putting out fires,” Drucker said. “My path as a firefighter is complex and full of challenges, but rewarding in a way that I can’t put into words. Today a sense of pride accompanies me everywhere I go, and I admit that despite the physical difficulties, the essence of the team, and the work itself are such that the sense of gratification it gives me helps me prevail over any difficulty, and there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ve also gained a family.”

Lilach Yehezkel, the section chief of employee welfare who is responsible for gender equality and serves as an advisor to the commissioner on women’s issues, said that “around half of the female firefighters today are team leaders. Female firefighters operate in a variety of roles out in the field. They do an excellent job and are compensated accordingly.”