Following in her grandfather and father’s footsteps, this Pune woman is set to join the city fire brigade

Meghana, a Commerce graduate from Pune’s Garware College, is now a proud third-generation firefighter. Her grandfather Sadashiv Sakpal, who is now 82, retired from the Pune Fire Brigade in 2002 and her father Mahendra Sakpal is currently a serving fireman. “Both have been my inspiration all along,” she says.

Meghana is the only woman among 167 newly recruited firefighters who are set to join the Pune Fire Brigade and will be deputed to various fire stations across the city. Till now, only the Mumbai Fire Brigade has women firefighters in the state.

Officials said the reason behind women not getting recruited into fire brigades across Maharashtra is the absence of a separate training facility for women. The Mumbai Fire Brigade has its own training establishment where it recruits and trains both men and women firefighters.

With new courses being introduced and the Mumbai training facility beginning to admit women candidates from outside, Meghana decided to appear for the qualification process and was selected for the six-month training course in the beginning of 2020. “My training had its share of ups and downs. The first three months were not easy. Everyday, during the fitness training, I used to be the last one in the batch of 30. I used to be in tears all the time doubting myself. I could only survive those three months only because of the support of my fellow trainees and inspiration from my father and grandfather. Three months into the training, the Covid-19 lockdown was announced and the training got suspended. This break gave me a chance to prepare myself,” she says.

“I worked on my fitness, both mental and physical. I trained hard. When our course resumed in 2022, I found myself excelling in all modules. I am happy that I made my family proud by doing so. It was a journey full of life lessons,” Meghana says, smiling. “In 2022 I completed the Maharashtra Fire Services Course. In mid-2023 I appeared for the Pune Fire Brigade recruitment process and got selected. I know that the road ahead is challenging. Growing up, I have heard stories from my father. Peoples’ safety depends on the decisions and actions of the firefighters,” she adds.

With the addition of 167 new recruits, the strength of the Pune Fire Brigade will reach 500, a much-needed addition to its numbers. Pune’s Chief Fire Officer Devendra Potphode said, “Pune fire brigade is in its 75th year of formal establishment. In this milestone year, inducting the first woman firefighter has its own significance. I am confident that this will pave the way for more women to join the force in future.”

Meghana’s father Mahendra, who is in his 18th year of service with the Pune Fire Brigade and currently posted at Janata Vasahat Fire Station, says, “While firefighting is my job and it was for my father for 34 years, we both have always looked at it as a service to people. Being in emergency services requires sacrifices on the part of our families. Our entire family is so proud that Meghana will continue this family tradition of serving people.”