“I believe we are heading in the right direction” – Australian fire safety specialist on women in the industry
Based in Perth, Western Australia, Namrata works as a fire safety engineer for Warringtonfire. Her role involves developing appropriate and cost-effective fire safety strategies for various buildings. However, her experience within the industry has not always been easy. Namrata calls upon the industry to help women to grow and develop their skills and promote a genuinely equal workforce.
How has your experience been as a woman in the fire industry?
Since university, the consistent challenge is frequently being the only female in stakeholder meetings. This can create an intimidating environment that is challenging to navigate. Fortunately, while growing up and through my school and university, I have had female role models excelling in their careers, despite working in male-dominated industries, and these women have always motivated me. I’ve been extremely lucky with the support from various mentors and have received equal opportunities.
Sadly, I know that not everyone has this experience. A friend told me that her mother worked as an engineer in an office without female toilets. Just around 13% of the Australian engineering workforce is female, so women are still significantly underrepresented in the industry. There is certainly a long way to go in terms of equal representation, however, I believe we are heading in the right direction.
What are the challenges in attracting new talent into the industry? And how can we raise awareness of engineering as a vocation for women?
Given that fire safety engineering cannot be studied at undergraduate level in Australia, this could be one barrier preventing people from entering the fire industry. Drawing from my own experience, it wasn’t until after graduating that I discovered it as an option. So, I certainly feel that more could be done to increase awareness of the opportunities. There is also a lack of understanding about what engineering encompasses – the different professions and skill sets that come under that umbrella. When I say I’m a fire safety engineer, for example, most people have no idea what the profession involves.
Unfortunately, for young women starting out in their working lives, not having this knowledge often means they won’t consider engineering as a career choice. It’s important to increase awareness of engineering as an option for girls, at a younger age – to dismantle gender stereotypes. One way to attract more women to the industry would be to increase the visibility of female role models within the industry. Having female role models has truly inspired me, and I believe it helps foster an environment where women feel welcome.
I also feel it would be invaluable to have a support system within the industry where women can interact and share experiences with one another. This ongoing support is crucial, and Warringtonfire does it extremely well. We get the opportunity to connect with colleagues at other offices across Australia, with internal training opportunities, which provide knowledge about the local regulations and recent projects.
For more information about fire engineering and Warringtonfire, please visit https://www.warringtonfire.com/fire-engineering
