Ladies Rooms on the Way to Fire Stations

A federal appeals court ruled this month that female firefighters need "private facilities" to do their job. That means thousands of fire stations may have to change the way fire crews sleep and shower on long shifts.

For more than a decade Debbie Bors has been one of the guys; one of eight firefighters on duty in a Greenville fire station. But no matter how close this staff becomes, Bors is different.

"The female locker room bathroom is me, because I'm the only one," said Bors. "To have my own shower is really nice."

When Bors started at the station the other firemen built her a separate shower and built the walls that separate the beds in a one community bunkroom.

"There was an all open area before I came out here," said Bors. "They put in little partitions which is nice."

Some stations still have to adjust however.

At the Piedmont Park fire station they have just one shower, but the door locks and the protective gear is custom made. So it should fit a woman just as well

When a new female firefighter starts she'll spend part of each 24-hour shift up in the bunkroom -- A big open space she'll share with all the men on shift.

"Our funding comes from taxes and we're not going to raise taxes," said Capt. Mark Dill of the Piedmont Park Fire Department. "We're going to have to incorporate that into a budget and come up with a future plan."

Last week a federal appeals court ruled in a case involving two female firefighters in St. Louis.

The court decided that "sanitary and private facilities are essential to the job of a firefighter."

Attorneys asked by WYFF News 4 said that means every firehouse may have to make changes to accomodate female employees.

"I had a lot of brothers and these guys are kind of like my brothers," said Bors.

Bors has the facilities she needs because her work brothers built them. Fire stations around the country may have to follow suit.

The appeals court took note of the way fire stations are funded and said it may take time for them all to adjust. But it said all of them must make changes.

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