In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re discussing influential women in the fire safety industry! (Image is Brenda Berkman)
For Women’s History Month, we are celebrating influential women in the fire safety industry worldwide. From early pioneers to today’s innovators, these trailblazers advanced fire prevention and protection. Today, women are still bringing their knowledge, expertise, and ingenuity to the fire safety industry in an effort to spearhead innovation and protect lives all around the globe.
Historical Pioneers
Molly Williams (USA, 1818)
The first recorded U.S. female firefighter was Molly Williams, an African-American slave in New York City. During an 1818 blizzard, she singlehandedly hauled a hand-pumped fire engine to a blaze, proving her strength and bravery. Her courage set a precedent for women in firefighting history.
Margaret Law (UK, 1971)
Margaret Law was a British engineer and pioneer in fire safety engineering. In 1971 she became the first woman member of the Institution of Fire Engineers. Over a 40-year career she led research on how fires spread and influenced modern building codes worldwide.
Dorothy Martin Simon (USA, 1970s)
Dorothy Simon was a U.S. chemist and combustion researcher who helped found performance-based fire safety. While at NACA (NASA’s predecessor) she studied flame propagation and pioneered test methods for fire behavior. Her work on flame theory and safety standards helped shape today’s fire protection codes.
Adrienne Clarke (Australia, 1987) & Françoise Mabille (France, 1976)
Fire services in many countries first admitted women late in the 20th century. In Australia, Adrienne Clarke became South Australia’s first professional female firefighter in 1987. In France, volunteer Françoise Mabille was the first woman to join a fire brigade (in Normandy, 1976) and later went on to full-time duty. These women broke gender barriers on opposite sides of the globe.
Brenda Berkman (USA, 1982–87)
In New York City, attorney Brenda Berkman challenged sexist hiring tests. As lead plaintiff in Berkman v. City of New York, she proved FDNY’s physical exam illegally excluded women. When she won her case, Berkman became one of the first female FDNY firefighters and opened the door for thousands more women to join the force.
Josephine Reynolds (UK, 1983)
Josephine Reynolds was among Britain’s first full-time female firefighters. Hired by Norfolk Fire Service in 1983 at age 18, she later wrote Fire Woman: The Extraordinary Story of Britain’s First Female Firefighter (2017) about her experience. Reynolds helped inspire acceptance of women in UK fire services and became a speaker on gender equality in firefighting.
Contemporary Leaders and Innovators
Susan Lamont (UK)
Dr. Susan Lamont is a leading fire safety engineer at Arup. A Fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, she has spent 20+ years studying fire dynamics and developing new risk-assessment methods. Lamont’s research on fire behavior and holistic design helps keep buildings safe from the Middle East to the UK.
Salma Humaid AlAli (UAE)
Engineer Salma AlAli heads fire safety at Dubai Civil Defence. She has overseen the implementation of advanced fire codes and life-safety standards across Dubai, ensuring new buildings meet the latest requirements. AlAli also leads industry trainings and conferences, raising awareness of fire prevention best practices in the UAE.
Amna Akram (Pakistan)
Eng. Amna Akram is a pioneer in South Asia’s fire protection field. She became the first woman certified as a Fire Protection Specialist in Pakistan and the first female member of the Institution of Fire Engineers (Pakistan branch). Today she manages fire-safety engineering projects and mentors other women engineers in the region.
Sandra Sykas-Taylor (UK)
Sandra Sykas-Taylor is a Chartered Principal Fire Engineer at Design Confidence (UK). In 2025 she won the International Woman of the Year award at the Women in Fire Safety Awards. This honor recognized her leadership in fire protection design, from major building projects to innovative research, making her one of the field’s rising stars.
Kelly Gardiner (UK)
Kelly Gardiner is a fire-suppression innovator with Plumis, a UK company specializing in home sprinkler systems. She won the 2024 Women in Fire Safety Business Manager of the Year award for driving new partnerships and helping get Plumis’s Automist system approved in building regulations. Her work exemplifies how women today lead technical and business advances in fire safety.
Chloe Antoniuk & Kate Blake (UK)
These two leaders co-founded the Women in Fire Safety Awards in 2021. Their goal was “to shine a light on the incredible women driving change in fire safety”. By creating this global platform of recognition, Antoniuk and Blake actively champion female talent, from engineering consultants to on-site firefighters, and encourage more women to enter and lead in the industry.
Contact Chesapeake Fire Protection Today!
Chesapeake Fire Protection (formerly Chesapeake Sprinkler Company) was originally founded in 1978 as a small family-owned business to serve the fire protection needs of the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. areas. You can rely on our extensive experience, knowledge of the latest technologies, and first-class fabrication facility to meet your fire protection needs.
Chesapeake Fire Protection became a Century Fire Protection Company in 2022. This allowed us to further expand our resources, capacity, and skills to serve our clients. We are headquartered in Odenton, MD with an additional branch office in Ashburn, VA.
Ready to get in touch? You can call us at our Odenton location at 410-674-7041 or our Ashburn location at 703-729-5150. You can also contact us for service and maintenance as well as emergencies at 410-674-7577. Find us on social media at Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!