RENTON, Wash. — Renton Regional Fire Authority is highlighting its all-women firefighting team that responded to a plane crash Monday morning. We caught up with two of the women about the response and the efforts to get more women into firefighting.
“We train a lot and we train often but aircraft incidents are a rarity,” said Renton firefighter and EMT, Jessica Clearman.
A rarity became a reality Monday morning at the Renton Airport.
“When we arrived on scene we saw the two patients were already out of the plane one patient was already on the ground,” said Renton firefighter and EMT, Michaela Wallace. “We just go through our steps go back on our training and work well with our neighboring agencies.”
While plane crashes are unusual, having an all-woman response team is even more rare.
“It was myself, Jessica, and our officer Lieutenant Weaver. We were the three on Engine 13 that day,” said Wallace
“Of course, we had the unique opportunity to have an all-female crew and engine that day. But I think it falls back on the people that we’ve learned from, the crews we’ve been on, and the crews that we have now, and the folks that have chosen to be in our corner,” said Clearman
Renton Fire said it typically responds to a handful of incidents every year but has only seen one other plane crash since 2020.
While crews train regularly to respond to everything the department said how these women reacted in the scenario is a testament to their preparedness.
“Do we have a fuel leak? Are we dealing with a big Boeing 737? Are we dealing with a small plane? Do we have two patients? Do we have 200 patients?” said Clearman
Renton Fire said it hopes seeing this kind of response will inspire more women to apply in the future
“My father was a firefighter. I grew up with him going to the fire department. I loved him and the guys he worked with and that was my inspiration to get into this career to help people and to be a public servant,” said Wallace
As for the two people on board, one was taken to the hospital while the other was treated and released at the scene.
Investigators said they believe the pilot was trying to land before the crash happened but said the official cause is still under investigation.