Danae Mines became one of the few female firefighters in the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) 11 years ago, despite her family telling her that only men joined the department. This year, she broke down another barrier by becoming the first woman to be featured in the FDNY’s 2015 Calendar of Heroes. She had been told that the honor was reserved for men, but when she saw the open call for firefighters, she went, despite feeling a little intimidated standing in line with more than 100 men.
There are currently only 41 women in the department, but perhaps the attention Danae is getting will increase that number. “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,” she told the New York Daily News.
