Fort Myers Fire Department Leads County With 13 Female Firefighters

The Fort Myers Fire Department now has 13 women working as firefighters, making it the biggest group in Lee County. This is a big jump from having just three women before. They're now ahead of the Cape Coral Fire Department by one woman.

"I think with having more female firefighters, it's almost like it's a new wave of female firefighters in this industry and supporting each other and kind of just encouraging one another," said Mariah Marrero to Fox 4.

Fresh out of fire school in the fall of 2024, Bella Pizzani got her start in EMT school before moving to firefighting. She crushed her physical test in January and finished training at the top of her class. Her family went from worried to proud as she showed what she could do.

The growing number of women in uniform shows how firefighting is evolving. Since starting in 2021, Marrero encourages others to take on traditionally male-dominated roles.