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New Bozeman firefighters begin training, including first women in entry-level roles

Posted at 2:19 PM, Jul 07, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-07 16:19:03-04

A set of new faces will be helping to save lives and fight fires in the City of Bozeman. And, for the first time in history, two entry-level firefighters will be women.

Fire Chief Josh Waldo says the six were added just this Monday, filling in three new positions and three others that were recently emptied due to retirements.

The firefighters include Teelan Durham, Cameron Gallegos,  Ryan Greenwell, and Forrest Vogel.

Also, Gabrielle Walker and Samantha Shepherd, the first women entry-level firefighters ever for Bozeman Fire.

Chief Waldo says the last woman to work in the department was former deputy chief Trisha Wolford back in 2017.

Each will train for six weeks before going to their assigned stations.

“It’s one of the largest groups we’ve ever brought on at one time so while there is a lot of excitement, it does tax us a little bit operationally to train that many people at one time,” Waldo says. “We’re excited to have six brand new faces here. It brings a lot of energy when you have new recruits at the fire station, so really happy to have them on board.” 

The chief says they plan on holding the recruits’ graduation ceremony on August 12 at Station One, which is just north off of Main on Rouse Avenue.