A trained industrial and precision mechanic; member of the fire brigade since 2008; a trained breathing apparatus user; jointly responsible for supervising the Youth Fire Brigade; a sports and car enthusiast… This description could go on and on and sounds like the paradigm of a fireman. And that’s what this person is! Except for one small thing: we’re not talking about a fireman, but about Jana – a dedicated female firefighter from Bavaria. In the future, she will be contributing all her experience and knowledge, as well as input from her network, to TEXPORT^®.

It was also through her online activities that Jana came into contact with TEXPORT^®. The young firefighter, who is also a sports car enthusiast, also uses her now considerable reach to discuss issues with other firefighters. “It’s a shame that even in this day and age I still often face deprecating comments in my work environment. I’ve also had to prove myself MORE than male colleagues a lot of the time, but I go my own way.” Jana is discussing the problem of being underestimated as a woman and she knows what she’s talking about. Unfortunately, she has repeatedly had the experience or heard from other female firefighters that there are still fire brigades that prefer to just have men on the team. Jana, however, focuses on the future: “I am really looking forward to exchanging ideas with TEXPORT^®, because it is often the case that protective clothing is adapted to patterns for men. But it’s well known that there are anatomical differences that still aren’t taken into account enough. Numerous female colleagues have repeatedly told me about the problem of poorly fitting work gear or protective clothing. This even poses a significant safety risk,” says Jana.