History in the fire brigade: Reshef Li-Shai Omar will serve as head of operations of Haifa station, the largest in Israel • Yamit Aharon will serve as deputy commander of the Ashdod fire station

• Yamit Aharon (right) and Li-Shi // Photo: Fire and Rescue Campaign spokesmen

In the firefighting and rescue system, two groundbreaking women were selected for key positions that have so far been an unreachable male stronghold. The two, who were selected last week, will take on roles in which a woman has never served.

Reshef Li-Shi Omar, an aerial assistance area officer, was appointed head of operations department of Haifa station, the largest in Israel, and head of naval fire fighters Aharon was elected senior post of deputy commander and will be responsible for a team of 19 fire fighters. Fire and Rescue Commissioner Deputy Chief Daddy Simhi said that "in the future, more and more women will be integrated into roles identified with the male fire fighter figure."

Reshef Li-Shi (29), married and mother of two, was taken into the fire brigade two years ago after ten years of military service and in her last position was a diamond elite security officer. She did her military service in engineering. She enlisted as a PLO fighter, passed an MSF course and combat officers and was the only woman on the course.

A Day with the Fire Fighters Running from Event to Event // Reporter: Avi Cohen, Photo: Newsenders

During the last year of the Permanent Service in the Fire and Rescue Service, two groundbreaking women were selected for key positions that have so far been an unreachable male stronghold. The two, who were selected last week, will take on roles in which a woman has never served.

Reshef Li-Shi Omar, an aerial assistance area officer, was appointed head of operations of the Haifa station, the largest in Israel, and head of naval fire fighters Aharon was selected as senior officer in charge of a vigilante command and will be responsible for a team of 19 fire fighters. Fire and Rescue Commissioner Deputy Chief Daddy Simhi said that "in the future, more and more women will be integrated into roles identified with the male fire fighter figure."

Reshef Li-shi (29), married and a mother of two, was taken into the fire brigade two years ago after ten years of military service and in her last role was a diamond elite unit security officer. She did her military service in engineering. She enlisted as a PLO fighter, passed an MSF course and combat officers and was the only woman on the course.

During the last year of her permanent service, a fire broke out at the base where she served. As a safety officer, she was a co-investigator after the firefight along with fire department personnel, and in the midst of it realized that her true mission was to serve in a fire and rescue system.

For the past two years, she has served as an Air Assistance Officer, and as such has been responsible for all of the Coastal Air Assistance District with district authority to operate all air forces, including firefighters, helicopters and gliders. As mentioned, she was now appointed to a position she had never held before, a woman who is considered the heartbeat of the station.

"This is a very challenging role, and a lot of eyes will test me," she says, emphasizing that her madness, excellence and desire for high direction stem from a place of Zionism rather than feminism. "I received and I get a lot of support from my husband and parents. I always had to think about how to keep the couple together. Many times I was already on my way to kindergarten to pick up the children, and halfway through I was jumped into an operational event. My husband is very sorry for me."

Yamit Aharon (38), married and a mother of two, who will serve as deputy commander at the Ashdod fire station, fell in love with firefighting at the age of 16 when she volunteered at the station as a personal commitment at the school, and since then, this bacterium has not left her. "I've always wanted to be part of a trapped rescue, to save lives. It's a fascinating and valuable job for me," she says.

Following an appeal to the High Court to allow women to enter the operational system, standards for the fire brigade were also opened for women, and Aaron was selected along with another firefighter for the first two women in the fire brigade accepted for an operational fire fighters course.

"The difficult sights are etched in my head over time," she admits. Fortunately, she says, her husband, who is a firefighter himself, is very supportive.