Guyana Fire Service’s first female appliance driver, Melesia Martin

By Jamall Adams
BEING dominant or productive in the work environment is no longer based on your sex or where you grew up. In today’s society, many career choices have no gender, since persons have decided to fight against the norms of what society once labelled or expected. Melesia Martin is a perfect example of this, and has been inspiring women over the years through her efficiency and productivity causing her to become Guyana’s first female appliance driver within the Guyana Fire Service.

Melesia was born and raised in Guyana and grew up in a family home on Princess Street. She is the third of six siblings and has always played a major role when it comes to being a positive influence among her siblings. Growing up, she attended the South Road Nursery School and it was there where she got her first encounter, of witnessing firefighters in action. One Monday morning while on her way to school, Melissa witnessed the building just opposite her school engulfed in flames. She explained how excited she was to see the men in action, never imagining that she would ever take up that career path.

Melesia then went on to attend St Angela’s Primary School where she aspired to become a dentist. But unfortunately, this particular dream was short-lived. While attending St Johns College, later on, Melesia had yet another first-hand experience of firefighting, this time it came from a school trip to the Guyana Fire Service’s Central Georgetown location. This trip was the school’s effort to educate the students about the daily activities of the Guyana Fire Service.
After the school visit, Melesia was enthusiastic about becoming a firefighter, based on the knowledge about firefighting, which she would’ve gained from being at the fire station. She then went home and told her dad about her new aspirations and was immediately encouraged to follow this career path.

“Because of the fact that my father was in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), he always had a desire to see me become a part of a disciplined service in Guyana. So when I told him about my fire-fighting dreams, he was more than happy to support this choice,” Melesia told the Pepperpot Magazine. She then added that her father had always encouraged her to pay close attention to the need for knowledge on fire prevention which is very important in our society.

After graduating high school and even with her father’s support and encouragement, Melesia was still a little hesitant about joining the service immediately.

“I guess I was afraid to join the service at such a young age, because it was a male- dominated [profession],” Melesia said. She then explained that she began working and was basically job-hopping, which proved to be a “miserable” period of her life.

In February of 2016, Melesia was accepted into the Guyana Fire Service as a firefighter and Control Room attendant. As a Control Room attendant, she was responsible for answering calls and dispatching appliances to emergency locations. She has since worked her way up to becoming an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and a heavy-duty driver in the service, making her the first female to drive a fire appliance, in the history of the Guyana Fire Service.

“Learning to properly operate the fire appliance was a task I knew I was capable of doing it, with the right amount of patience and practice,” she said. She then added that after receiving her appliance licence, she felt privileged and honoured to be able to serve her country on a broader scale than she was already doing. Melesia further expressed how overwhelmed she was to fit in so well in a male-dominated position and knowing that this move has allowed her to make history so that even after she passes on, her legacy will remain.

When asked about the challenges she faces as a woman who’s working in a profession where men outnumber women, Melesia said, “I won’t say there are challenges, because in the service we’re treated as one, we’re thought about teamwork, no one person is left to get it done on their own.” She added, “As a female in the service you receive a lot of attention, people tend to have more respect for you because it’s kind of unbelievable to most persons that a woman can actually fight fires and perform the daily duties of a fire-fighter.”

Melesia is currently stationed at the Central Fire Station on Water Street, Stabroek, and has pledged to make fire-fighting her lifelong career path. She’s very optimistic when it comes to the endless possibilities that exist for a woman, even in this particular career.

Melesia encourages others to “Believe in yourself and keep trusting God’s timings. Do not be discouraged or let anyone tell you it can’t be done. I’ve done amazing things as a woman and so can anyone else, regardless of your sex, sexual orientation, culture or race. Always remember that anything is possible.”