By Stefan Oberman
Through the provision of firefighting equipment, Jewish National Fund-USA’s philanthropic investments are helping firefighters on Israel’s frontiers respond to blazes in half the time while empowering hundreds of people to step up and protect their communities. For Israeli mothers, Reut Avni and Gal Noy, becoming firewomen was a logical next step. Here’s why.
The reality of living 5 miles from the border with Gaza is not lost on mother of four, Reut Avni. As a practicing attorney, Avni is used to helping people. However, when a wave of fires began to break out in her community, caused by incendiary “terror balloons” flown into Israel from the Gaza Strip, she knew she had to act.
Reut Avni trains to help people in motor vehicle accidents
“I could no longer stand by and watch our crops being destroyed [by fires] and our lives and livelihoods threatened by these explosive and incendiary devices from Gaza,” said Avni. “When I heard that our local fire station was recruiting volunteers, I thought I could do something to help.”
With a population of 800, Avni’s small town in Israel’s Gaza Envelope, like many other frontier communities in the country’s south, relies heavily on agriculture. Since March 2018, a spike in field fires caused by “terror balloons” has hurt local farmers and stretched regional firefighting resources to the limit.
Reut using the 'jaws of life' to extract occupants from a vehicle
However, through philanthropic investments from Jewish National Fund-USA led by its Fire & Rescue Task Force, communities now have access to firefighting apparatus that has halved the time it takes for firefighters to respond.
So, what do Avni’s children think of her firefighting heroics? She said her children are proud of her, noting, “They all came to my fire school’s graduation ceremony, and my little ones like to play with the bag that has my uniform.”
Regarding the example she wants to set for her children, Avni hopes they, too, will seek to give back to their community, like her. “I think the example I set for my children is significant,” she said. “With all my work as an attorney, my studies, and my children, it is very important for me to volunteer and contribute to society. It means a lot to me that my children will also volunteer and give of themselves to the community. And you know what? It’s working. My eldest, Michal, is volunteering for the third year as an instructor in a youth movement. Ori, my second oldest, is volunteering with the ambulance service. My two youngest daughters are also waiting to decide where they will volunteer. I am thankful that they have not only absorbed the values of volunteerism but are also applying them.”
In a nearby town, another female firefighter and mom, Gal Noy, like Avni, is also the only firewoman in her station. “When I heard that a firefighter’s course was seeking students, I thought it would be a great opportunity to get fit and help fight fires in our area.”
However, Noy’s decision to join the fire service was also driven by a series of personal experiences.
“A few years back, my friend lost her house because the fire station was too far away for the firefighters to arrive in time. Another friend lost an entire field of crops due to a bonfire that got out of control. We live about half an hour away from the closest fire station. However, now thanks to Jewish National Fund-USA’s philanthropic investments in firefighting equipment, we can rapidly respond [to fires] and save people’s properties and lives.”
Gal Noy operates a fogtip nozzle from the hosebed of a fire engine
Like countless other volunteer firefighters, Noy is always on standby when help is needed, which can sometimes disrupt family life. “My children support me and understand if I must leave and go to a fire or motor vehicle accident. I try to go in my spare time; however, other times, I must leave a family event and respond. Yet, when I return home, I feel energized and proud of what I have done. I think I also give this energy to my children.”
While Avni and Noy wear multiple hats, including ‘mom,’ ‘pioneer,’ and ‘firefighter,’ one thing’s sure. No one is prouder of what they’re doing than their children, whose futures are safeguarded and protected by their fierce firefighting moms and countless other women like them.
Support Israel's brave firefighters today at my.jnf.org/firerescue