Meet Trailblazer Firefighter Eldora Rubio
Tonight, as we observe Women’s Month, News Five takes a trip down memory lane and gives you an update on one of Belize’s trailblazers. As you will see, Eldora Rubio has led the way for change, extinguishing both gender stereotypes and dangerous fires for over twenty years. She has also pushed open the doors of a male dominated field, providing access for other Belizean women. Andrea Polanco reports.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
The year is 1999. The woman is Eldora Rubio. It was her first day on the job as the first full-time female firefighter in Belize.
Eldora Rubio, Firefighter, Belize National Fire Service [File: October 18th, 1999]
“The hardest part is being in the sun for like for like three hours in a suit; that’s the hardest part.”
Janelle Chanona
“The hose deh nuh heavy?”
Eldora Rubio
Eldora Rubio
“They are heavy, yes. But once you get used to it you get accustomed to it, so. To be as good as the other guys – to become like a professional then.”
…and firefighter Rubio became that professional – just as good as or better than the guys. Fast forward two decades – it’s 2021. She is the fire safety officer with the Belize National Fire Service. This trailblazer has inspired other women to pursue a career in fire-fighting.
Eldora Rubio, Fire Safety Officer, Belize National Fire Service
“I have heard from two of the women who are working that I did motivate them when they first saw me and that gave me a sense of accomplishment and it helps me continue to reach this point. I was basically on my own for the first ten years or five years after two females who came in with me end up resigning a couple years after. So, I was on my own for a few amount of years and they tend to overlook you for trainings because you are a female and considered the weaker link.”
Rubio is anything but weak, although she’ll tell you that those early years were tough. She wasn’t welcomed as a firefighter and was often overlooked for training opportunities, after all, many of her male counterparts felt there was no place for a woman on the fire-fighting squad. But she was determined to become a career firefighter, not despite of, but because she was a woman.
Eldora Rubio
Eldora Rubio
“1999, it wasn’t that welcoming because firefighting was considered a male dominated job so about more than fifty percent of them basically didn’t want me here. Some of the colleagues I trained with, they didn’t tell me upfront but afterwards they told me that if it wasn’t for me they would have quit the training but I helped to motivate them to finish because their thing is a female will not beat me so they pushed themselves to finish. Throughout the years, I have proven myself and showed them that I can carry my own weight that I can do my work and I gained their respect throughout the years.”
Andrea Polanco
“How did you motivate yourself during those years?”
Eldora Rubio
“The job. I fell in love with the job. I came to work every day, expecting something different everyday you don’t know what you will expect when you come to work.”
Andrea Polanco
“What is it that you love about this job?”
Eldora Rubio
“The challenge. It has been challenging from the start not only with the emergency calls that we go on but the guys you work with because eventually I became supervisor for some them but eventually they came around and they learnt to respect me.”
There are six full-time female firefighters in the Belize National Fire Service and the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction wants to recognize trailblazer firefighter Rubio.
Orlando Habet
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change & Disaster Risk Reduction
“We believe that we have to give women recognition in those areas where it is not traditional or cultural to see some of these women get involved especially making a career. In the area of fire-fighting, there are few women who are involved. We congratulate Miss Eldora Dativa Chacon Rubio from the National Fire Service of Belize.”
As a fire safety officer, Rubio’s job is to educate students about fire safety. She also leads fire marshall trainings, as well as fire-safety inspections, to help keep businesses and other public places safe. Rubio’s career is an example of how she has broken barriers and forged a path for other women in what’s a traditionally male dominated field. To date, it is one of the most rewarding experiences of her life.
Eldora Rubio
“Second to having my son – this is the best decision I have made. I wouldn’t change anything. Even the challenges with the guys – I think they made me stronger. They made me more dedicated to the job. Their behaviour towards me when I first started actually pushed me to show them that I can do the same thing like them. So, I wouldn’t change anything because going through that made me be the person I am today.”
Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.
