First Woman Firefighter In Washington Dies At Age 64

BELLEVUE, WA - The first woman to become a career firefighter in Washington died of cancer Sunday at age 64. Retired Capt. Jeanette Woldseth became a full-time firefighter in Bellevue in 1977 after serving as a volunteer for two years.

“Captain Woldseth was truly a ground-breaker, not only in the Bellevue Fire Department, but within the larger firefighter community,” said Bellevue Interim Fire Chief Todd Dickerboom. “She paved the way for so many women who came after her. We’re all deeply saddened by this loss. Jeanette was a very talented, wonderful person.”

Woldseth came from a family of firefighters, including her father and grandfather. She pursued a career as a firefighter when her father, a Bellevue volunteer, asked her younger brother if he was thinking about joining the volunteers in front of her.

"You didn’t ask me if I wanted to join the volunteers!” she said to her father.

She became a volunteer firefighter in Bellevue in 1975.

Although Woldseth broke into an almost exclusively male profession, retired Bellevue Chief Ken McAllister recalled it was firefighters' wives who were bothered by Woldseth.

“A few of the wives gave us an ultimatum; if Jeanette was assigned to the same shift and station as their husband, then their husband was not going to be allowed to come to work," McAllister said according to a statement released by the city of Bellevue.

More than 30 years later, men still dominate the firefighting service. But in Washington, volunteer and career women firefighters have banded together to create their own training workshops. Since 2003, volunteers have operated Camp Blaze for women 16 to 19 who are interested in firefighting careers.

Woldseth was promoted to captain in 1985 and retired in 2002. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, and was active in the Fred Hutchinson Obliteride cancer fundraiser.

Details about a memorial for Woldseth are forthcoming.

Image courtesy city of Bellevue