Captain Brenda Berkman FDNY (ret) talks trauma, healing and connection
Retired Captain Brenda Berkman of the FDNY sat down with The Firefighter Deconstructed and discussed healing from the job and 9/11 and the added trauma of working in a hostile working environment. Brenda is known as the leader of the first women firefighters for FDNY. In 1982 she was hired with 40 other women but was the sole named plaintiff in the lawsuit against the city of New York and FDNY to give women an equal opportunity to become a firefighter. She became a lightening rod for all the anger and hostility towards women becoming firefighters. Despite taking the brunt of the backlash, she continued to champion for women in the fire service and women in general, as she still does today. Captain Berkman spent 25 years on the job. It was an absolute honor to have her on the show.
www.brendaberkmanartworks.com
monumentalwomen.org
www.pbs.org/independentlens/takingtheheat
“Taking the Heat” on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6l56ShNMAE