Date: Fri 16-May-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

schools-Ruot-firewoman

Full Text:

Lisa Ruot Tells Students About Life As A Firewoman

Westport firefighter Lisa Ruot (right) helps Newtown Middle School classroom

aide J.J. Robinson dress in the 70 pounds of full gear that Mrs Ruot routinely

wears on her job.

-Bee Photo, Evans

B Y D OROTHY E VANS

The middle school sixth graders had prepared their questions ahead of time,

knowing that Westport firefighter Lisa Ruot would be visiting their classroom

Thursday morning, May 8.

Guided by their English teacher, Sheila Kolesar, the students got right to the

point.

What's it like for you as a woman, working alongside men in a physically

demanding and hazardous job?

Does size and strength make a difference?

You are a female firefighter and a mother. How do you juggle child care

responsibilities with answering emergency fire calls?

Do your husband and children worry?

In school, they had been learning about alternative careers and the different

roles that women can play in today's work force.

But after Mrs Ruot's talk last Thursday, they also learned that a woman like

Mrs Ruot could enjoy working in a profession that was mostly dominated by men.

Her positive attitude and dedicated work ethic were what made this possible.

Aren't you scared to go to work, afraid of what might happen?

"It's actually very exciting. Pretty much every day, I'm glad to go to work,"

Mrs Ruot told the students.

"I like to work outside, and I like the fact that every day, it's different.

Also, you work with great people," she added.

Mrs Ruot has been a Newtown resident for more than three years, and is a paid

firefighter now working for the town of Westport. She has worked in the field

of fire emergency control for 18 years, is married to a fireman, and has three

children, ages 15, 12 and 3.

Her daughter, Amanda Bloom, a student in Sheila Kolesar's class, was sitting

at a desk with the other sixth graders, listening. Amanda was used to the idea

of her mother being a professional firefighter, she said, "but sometimes, I

worry about her."

Do the men accept you as an equal?

Mrs Ruot admitted it took a little time.

"It's easy for all the guys to be friendly, but at first I think they didn't

know what to make of me," Mrs Ruot said.

Once they saw she was willing to pitch in and work hard and that she could be

depended upon, they accepted her.

As for the balancing act between home and work, Mrs Ruot said that as a paid

professional, her work schedule allowed her to plan her time pretty well.

"I work two days from 8 am to 6 pm and two nights from 6 pm to 8 am. Then I'm

off for four days. It's a very nice schedule," Mrs Ruot said.

Is it hard going on calls where people are hurt or in bad trouble?

"I've gone to a lot of calls that really bother me, but I keep telling myself

I didn't cause the problem and I'm there to help," Mrs Ruot said.

She explained that firefighters are extremely well trained, are certified as

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), and are equipped for almost any

emergency.

"You don't just go rushing into every burning building," she said.

The first step is a "size up," where firefighters look over the situation from

the outside before entering, and ask the following questions.

How far has the fire spread? Are there structural parts that might collapse

any time? Has the heat inside reached the "flash over" point where everything

will burn instantaneously?

What about the uniform? Didn't you find it cumbersome and difficult to move

around?

(Mrs Ruot is a relatively small woman but she is obviously strong. She said

keeping in good physical shape is a necessary priority for anyone in her

profession.)

"The full suit of fire gear weighs 60 to 70 pounds," she said, holding the

various parts up for the students to examine.

There were three layers of clothing to create thermal barriers; a helmet,

goggles, boots and gloves; back pack with oxygen supply; several tools and a

flashlight, as well as a radio communication device as part of the head gear

("Otherwise, we'd never be able to hear each other talk!").

Then Mrs Ruot dressed special education aide J.J. Robinson, who had

volunteered to be a model.

Video Tracks Fire's Spread

A memorable part of Mrs Ruot's visit was a video she'd brought along to

illustrate how rapidly a household fire can spread.

Fireproof cameras had been installed in various rooms of a typical home and

recorded the almost unbelievable rate at which fire can move through a

building.

To start the fire, a smoldering cigarette was purposely dropped into a living

room waste basket. Within 30 seconds the smoke had turned to flames and the

sofa cushions near the waste basket had ignited.

In one minute, the polyurethane pillows were melting and smoke was filling the

room, setting off the smoke detector at the top of the stairs.

In three minutes, the temperature had reached 1,400 degrees or "flash over"

and the living room was a fiery inferno. Windows were breaking, smoke was

billowing up the stairs and plastic toys in a children's bedroom overhead were

melting into shapeless black blobs.

By the time the fire department arrived, at the four-minute mark, the first

floor of the house was almost totally destroyed. Yet, a second floor master

bedroom on one corner was spared because the door had been left closed.

"People who are planning to tear down an old dwelling often donate it to us

for practice," Mrs Ruot said, when students asked why such a seemingly nice,

normal house had been burned for the video.

Mrs Ruot told the students if they were ever caught in such a fire and found

they couldn't escape on their own, they should get as far away from the source

of the fire as possible, close the door, keep low to the floor near an open

window and wait for help.

"Be sure the firemen know where you are. Throw something out the window, like

a sheet, to show them. And don't jump until it's the last possible minute, you

might get hurt."

Since you've been a firefighter, how do you think your life has changed?

"I see a lot of accidents involving alcohol and kids riding bikes but not

wearing safety helmets. It makes me crazy. I guess I'm overly safety conscious

now. I look at every situation and ask myself, `What could happen here?'" she

said.

Parents think that way, too, she added. It comes with the territory.