Original photo by Firefighter Montreal/ Shutterstock
While you might imagine Antarctica as primarily a land of ice and seabirds, the human presence on the continent has meant that it's occasionally home to something a little, well, warmer. The Antarctic Fire Department — the only full-time, professional fire department on the southernmost continent — serves the U.S.-run McMurdo Station, the largest research station in Antarctica. (Other stations have part-time fire brigades.) The population at McMurdo can grow to more than 1,000 people in the summer season, between October and March, as scientists arrive to study phenomena such as melting glaciers and migrating penguins. McMurdo’s infrastructure includes around 85 buildings with amenities such as dormitory housing, three bars, yoga classes, and hiking trails. The Antarctic Fire Department also serves the U.S.-run Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and the U.S. Air Force Airfields, and the firefighters pride themselves on responding to any incident at these sites within two minutes.
Oops, incorrect!
It's a fibPolar bears only dwell north of the equator, in the Arctic — none of the furry creatures reside in Antarctica. Between 60% and 80% of all polar bears live in the ice-covered regions of Canada; the rest live in Alaska, Greenland, Norway, and Russia.
The Antarctic Fire Department staffs nearly 55 specially-trained firefighters, who are based at either McMurdo Station or the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Dispatchers field about 350 emergency calls yearly, mostly involving small fires, odor complaints, and hazardous materials. One routine duty is spraying every incoming flight with a deicing foam that also stops engine fires and dripping oil. Firefighters must be ready to battle the continent’s fierce winds, which encourage flames, and use fire engines with pumps that continually cycle water throughout the custom fire trucks to prevent the liquid from freezing. Individual deployments last between three and 13 months — a long time to be away from family, friends, and fresh produce — and each shift lasts 24 hours. It can be grueling, but for those seeking adventure and camaraderie, few things beat putting your survival skills to the test in one of the harshest, and most exquisite, settings on Earth.
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"Fargo" (1996) actor ______ served as a New York City firefighter from 1980 to 1984.
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"Fargo" (1996) actor Steve Buscemi served as a New York City firefighter from 1980 to 1984.
Women were nominated to lead Chicago’s and Los Angeles’ fire departments for the first time in 2021 and 2022.
On May 14, 2021, then-Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot selected Annette Nance-Holt to be the city’s first fire commissioner, the top post in the roughly 2,550-person Chicago Fire Department. The City Council approved Nance-Holt’s nomination the following month, making her the first woman — and woman of color — to oversee the city’s fire department in its 162-year history. “As fire commissioner, I intend to show the next generation of young Black women that they too can achieve any and everything they set their minds and hearts to,” said Nance-Holt, who has served the department for more than three decades. Then, on January 18, 2022, then-Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti chose Kristin Crowley as his pick to helm the local fire department. Crowley had previously been part of the 3,435-member Los Angeles Fire Department for 22 years. She took the oath of office on March 25, 2022, becoming the first female fire chief since the department was founded in 1886. Overall, however, women still make up less than 10% of the U.S. fire service.
Jenna is a writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and New York Magazine.
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