Female soldiers to team up with firemen

In a novel gesture as part of week-long activities commemorating International Women’s Day, female officers of the Defence Force, Coast Guard, will work alongside their male counterparts at the Scarborough Fire Station in Tobago on Thursday. It will be a normal (9 am to 4 pm) working day for the women who are expected to perform all the duties of a firefighter, including going out on fire and other emergency calls, a Fire Services official explained.

Meantime, at a function in recognition of the annual United Nations (UN) observance in Scarborough Friday, Assistant Secretary for Health/Social Services at the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Aldington Spencer emphasised that partnering between women and men was crucial to the success of any effort at developing society.  “It takes a partnership to get things going, to get things done,” acknowledged Spencer. “It’s International Women’s Day, but we must also celebrate the men; without the men International Women’s Day will mean nothing!” he argued.