The Siloam Springs Police and Fire Departments hosted the fourth annual summer police and fire academy for community children ages 5-17 from June 17-21.
The camp is geared toward pulling back the curtain and giving children a closer look at law enforcement, fire fighting, medical care, bike safety and more, according to the SSPD.
This is the first year the camp enrolled a girl in the 13-17 year old age group, according to Jamie Washington, SSFD lieutenant.
The female presence in emergency services is important, if not critical, according to SSPD Chief Jim Wilmeth.
"It shows a proper respect for the demographic of our society," Wilmeth said. "Our society is built up of more than one gender. Our law enforcement should be built up of more than one gender. Because it shows proper respect and consideration for the demographics of our society. It's all of us together that create the culture we live in."
The United States Census Bureau estimated on July 1, 2018 there were 16,991 residents in Siloam Springs. Of those, 52.7 percent were estimated to be females. At the SSPD, there are only two female officers on a sworn force of 40 members.
DeAndra Strickland, community relations officer, has been an officer with the department for 12 years and has served in several different capacities, including dispatch, patrol, crime scene investigations and now in her current role as a liaison between the community at the department. Stigma has been one thing she encounters no matter what facet of her career she's in, Strickland said.
"We know that there's not a lot of women in the emergency services," she said. "I think that's across the board. We have to be very professional and be very confident in our abilities from the get go and people will pick up on that. Whereas I don't think the guys maybe have to do that as much.
"I think [women] tend to have more patience. We offer a different view point on situations. There are things we will pick up on and notice before the guys will ever notice."
That ability to sense emotion and work through it strongly correlates to a way a woman thinks, Strickland said. Both her and Detective Tiffany Adams, the other sworn female officer on the SSPD, are able to use that skill to work with victims of crimes and children.
Adams has been with the SSPD for five years and also began in dispatch. From there, she worked two years as a patrol officer and has spent the last two years as a detective investigating everything from violent crimes, thefts of properties and crimes involving child abuse, whether it be sexual or physical.
Adams encourages women to tap into their defined skills and pursue a career in emergency services, even if it may be a male-dominated field.
"Don't let other people's perceptions define what you think you can and can't do," she said. "As long as you work hard, you're every bit as capable of (doing) this job just as well as a man is."
According to Chief Wilmeth, those skills can do things like establish rapport in a community, further an investigation and compliment the skill sets found within men at the SSPD.
"Our law enforcement role is much more effective when we're balanced," Wilmeth said.
In the fire service, the stigma sometimes associated with female firefighters may be on its way out, said Chief Jeremy Criner.
"That stigma is lessening every day because you gain more and more diversity in every organization throughout the country and we're no different."
When looking at growing the department, Criner said he "sees individuals with their own unique talents and natural strengths," and he assess those without considering someone's gender.
Both Wilmeth and Criner encourage anyone with questions about emergency services to reach out. Members of the Siloam Springs Police Department can be reached at 479-524-4118. Members of the Siloam Springs Fire Department can be reached at 479-524-3103.
General News on 07/03/2019