Unions: More Needed
Bathrooms Added For Firewomen

By ARI PAUL

While the Fire Department is adding female-only bathrooms to 21 firehouses this year, the head of the Firefighters' union and the outgoing head of the fire officers' union said the department still has work to do.

STEVE CASSIDY: FDNY must do more.

"It's the 21st century, for Pete's sake," said Steve Cassidy, president of the Uniformed Firefighters' Association, adding that all firehouses should have female-only bathrooms. "They have to do it."

More Women Applying

Currently, 116 of the city's 220 firehouses have female bathrooms, which also serve as lockerrooms.

The department cited a rise in female applicants in explaining the planned expansion. In 2002, about 875 women applied to be Firefighters and nearly 550 took the entrance exam. Last year, more than 1,400 women applied and more than 800 took the written exam. Of the city's 11,000 Firefighters, 27 are women, and all but four of them were hired since 2000.

Captain Peter L. Gorman, the outgoing president of the Uniformed Fire Officers' Association, said that while the additions are a step in the right direction, there have been female Firefighters in the department for 25 years, and this issue should have been addressed long ago.

"They're behind the curve here," he said. Mr. Cassidy said that the expansion of female bathroom facilities was insufficient because Firefighters often are detailed to work at firehouses other than the one where they are based.

Women's Rep Pleased

Lieut. Adrienne Walsh, the president of the United Women Firefighters, said that when a female Firefighter is moved to a firehouse without a bathroom for women only, the other firefighters usually make allowances to ensure that she has privacy.

Lieutenant Walsh, who works at Special Operations Command, was pleased by the announcement.

"There's always optimism when we hear that," she said.

She agreed with Mr. Cassidy that all firehouses should eventually have female-only bathrooms. Captain Gorman argued that infrastructural maintenance is a low priority for the department and this will need to change if it truly wants to diversify its staff.

"You can't say you are recruiting women without addressing the lack of facilities for female Firefighters," he said.