'Taking the Heat': Fighting to Join the NYFD

Published March 26, 2006 at 1:24 PM EST

The current cadre of female New York City firefighters represent a decades-long struggle of some pioneering women to earn the right to save lives alongside their male comrades.

Leading that fight was Brenda Berkman, now a captain for the NYFD. She started her career in the formerly all-male fire service in 1982, after winning a federal sex discrimination lawsuit.

That lawsuit and the personal stories of the other female firefighters who have followed Berkman into service is the subject of a new PBS documentary, Taking the Heat.

More from WGCU

Weather

A dragging cold front dissects Florida; a stronger cold front expected for next week

Irene Sans

A low-pressure system will get stuck in the Southeast, keeping some fronts at bay right over northern Florida—significant contrasts in temperatures and humidity between the southern and northern halves of the State.
Arts & Culture

Capturing the beauty and grace of professional basketball

WGCU News

Many sports have their heroes, but basketball has an uncanny ability to turn stars into legends and build fuel for both the history of the game and the heroes that have mastered the hardwood.
Business/Economy

Rejuvenated art walk is Matlacha's homage to hope

Samuel Brucker

After years of hiatus, Jennifer Rena Bennett, owner of Matlacha's Island Flair, has partnered with the Matlacha Civic Association to resurrect Matlacha's Art Walk. Its resurgence returned to the small island on June 13, 2025. Since then, the event has gained increased attention with an intrinsic goal of rejuvenating and reinvigorating the quaint business community, home to the historic fishing village, during the times of stability prior to the cavalcade of hurricanes Ian, Helene and Milton—all of which impacted the low-lying island in different ways.

Arts & Culture

Sarasota Cuban Ballet's 'Nutcracker' features sets and costumes created by legendary Broadway designer

Tom Hall

Sarasota Cuban Ballet presents “The Nutcracker” at the Sarasota Opera House on Friday. That performance will obviously feature classic choreography and the beauty of Tchaikovsky’s score. But as Administrative Director Barbara Worth explains, there’s more to this production.
Arts & Culture

Arts Center Theatre presents selections from David Sedaris' 'Holidays on Ice'

Tom Hall

Arts Center Theatre on Marco Island is doing something different this holiday season. Instead of staging a full-scale production of a Christmas show, they’re reading selections from David Sedaris’ “Holidays on Ice.”
Immigration

Amnesty International report details human rights violations at Everglades and Krome detention centers

WGCU Staff

A report released Wednesday by Amnesty International alleges cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment at two immigration detention centers in Florida: The Everglades Detention Facility (“Alligator Alcatraz”) in eastern Collier County and the Krome North Service Processing Center ("Krome") in Miami.

'Taking the Heat': Fighting to Join the NYFD

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning