History 21 The Podcast - 1.06 Denise DeMars
In an oral history interview with ACHS in 2008, Denise DeMars shares her journey with the Columbia Heights Fire Department as their first female firefighter. She joined the fire department as a volunteer in 1978, became a full time firefighter in 1980 and navigated sexism in a male-dominated profession as well as the dangers of fighting fires. She retired as a deputy fire marshal for the state of Minnesota in 2012.
Content Note: this episode contains sensitive language we do not condone. About two thirds of the way through Denise Demars’ 2008 oral history interview she recounts a conversation in which the N-word was used in her presence in 1980. We have decided to leave this portion of the interview unedited, not to be insensitive, but instead to reflect how history must acknowledge the evolution of social mores and language. We invite you to think about Denise’s reaction to the power structure at the time, her reaction recounting the event 28 years later, as well as how you might handle the situation if you were in her place.
Hosts Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director and Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator.
Denise DeMars in her Columbia Heights Fire Department uniform.
Denise DeMars
Columbia Heights Firefighter and MN Deputy Fire Marshal
1978 - Applied for and accepted as a volunteer firefighter in Columbia Heights
1980 - Became full-time firefighter in Columbia Heights
1988 - Transferred positions to become deputy fire marshal for the state of MN
History 21: The Vault Extras
Listen to Denise Demars’ Full oral history interview or read the transcript
Anoka County Library Minute
Further Reading:
Wilderness firefighter Jason A. Ramos gives a first-hand account of his experiences fighting forest fires in deep-wilderness zones. Forest fires are growing bigger every year, and smokejumpers, the firefighters parachuted down into dense and dangerous areas to fight them, need special skills, and adaptability, to survive.
Firefighters: Stories of Survival from the Front Lines of Firefighting by Clint Willis - 363.379 FIR
This anthology presents the stories of the men and women who fight fires and risk their lives to protect others from this deadly element. Featuring stories, essays, and commentaries written by authors and journalists about firefighting, the book captures not only the work itself but its meaningfulness to those in the public that firefighters help protect. I believe this book also came out shortly after the 9/11 tragedy, so if you are interested in the firefighters who served there, this one might be particularly of interest to you.
Gunflint Burning: Fire in the Boundary Waters by Cary J. Griffith - 363.379 GRI
Bringing things back to Minnesota - Published by the University of Minnesota Press, Gunflint Burning tells an account of the Ham Lake Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Minnesota history. The fire took place in 2007 and burned 75,000 acres and hundreds of properties. Beginning on May 5, 2007, the fire would burn uncontrolled until May 12
Megafire: The Race to Extinguish a Deadly Epidemic of Flame by Michael Kodas - 363.379 KOD
World-renowned journalist and forest fire expert Michael Kodas travels to harrowing forest fires and localized house fires in his book on fire and the men and women who fight it. Traveling around the world, Kodas looks at some of the biggest and most frightening recent fires in the world, and the lives of the people affected by them.
Under the Bus: How Working Women Are Being Run Over by Caroline Fredrickson - 331.4 FRE
Under the Bus was an important contribution to the discussion of women in the workplace and the sexism (and racism) that keeps them from breaking through that glass ceiling. Fredrickson talks about labor practices and how laws are written to allow for discrimination while at the same time purporting to be against it.
The Good Girls Revolt gives an anecdotal account of women fighting unfair work practices in the form of forty-six women who sued Newsweek for discrimination in hiring and promotion. The case was the first female class-action lawsuit and was inspirational to many other women. The author, Lynn Povich was one of the women who participated in this “revolt,” and gives her own story here.
The Women’s Movement and Title IX were advancements that greatly helped create gender equality in the workplace. However, women still are not doing as well as men in traditionally male jobs. While women may start generally in the same place as men in these jobs, they tend to leave the work earlier, after being paid less. This book acknowledges that this is a result of stereotypes and ingrained workplace practices, but also has suggestions for how women can succeed in their work despite these setbacks.
Clare Wasserman is the founder of Ladies Get Paid, the startup leading the fight for equality in the workplace. The book includes both inspiring stories and advice for women to make their workplaces more equal, how to increase pay and ask for promotions, and how to build up your own sense of self-worth to help you succeed.
The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science is Still a Boys’ Club by Eileen Pollack - 305.42 POL
Eileen Pollack longed to be a theoretical astrophysicist, but in the 60s and 70s, she was unable to keep up with the men in her field. When the question later arose of why so few women were in the sciences, she decided to find out for herself. This book shows her findings from six years’ worth of interviews from former teachers, classmates, and other women who dropped out of the sciences, and talks about the cultural, institutional, and social barriers keeping women out of the STEM fields.