The first female firefighter of Barcelona

Barcelona"I wasn't very aware of what it meant to be the first... I took it naturally," acknowledges Miriam Galisteo, the first woman to join the Barcelona Fire Department. It was 2007, and she was 31 years old. "My colleagues had to get used to my presence. It wasn't difficult for me, but for them, a more paternalistic streak emerged, trying to protect me or not seeing me as capable of doing certain things," recalls the firefighter. She also explains that she didn't consider herself a role model until new generations of female firefighters joined and told her she was for them. "There are already 20 or 22 of us girls, but there are still attitudes and comments... In the end, it's like society, it moves slowly," she warns.

Now, two decades later, Galisteo's life is very similar to that of the rookie firefighter in her thirties. "I'm still a firefighter in Barcelona and I do the same job as the first day. There's a colleague who has been promoted to corporal, but I already liked what I do: going out on the street, responding to calls, and driving the truck when it's my turn," she explains. Furthermore, in her daily life, she has added another task: "I am a prevention trainer for schools and senior centers that come to visit the station, and I love it."

Despite remaining active, Galisteo doesn't hide that time passes for everyone. "You try to stay active and in shape, but you do see that you have less energy than the new recruits," she explains. But she insists: "I'm 50 years old and I want to finish my working life in service. I want to retire as a firefighter."