A female firefighter today claimed she was sexually discriminated against when she was taken off active duties because she was too short.
An employment tribunal heard that 5ft 1in Katie Reid, 31, of Lower Road, Eastbourne, was taken off her duties at Preston Circus Fire Station, near Brighton, after several incidents where she was not tall enough to handle equipment.
She claimed at the Southampton tribunal that this sexually discriminated against her because East Sussex Fire Authority failed to accommodate her height when designing equipment and the way fire appliances were operated.
The former teacher told the tribunal that she became embarrassed and depressed because she felt her fellow firefighters did not want to work with her.
The problems experienced by Miss Reid included not being able to reach equipment, pull out hoses and lift the ladders.
She had difficulty getting the right sized clothing during her training and she was prevented from attending any incident which required a chemical protection suit because none was available in her size.
She also claimed that because East Sussex Fire Authority did not put appropriate practices into place, it was endangering her safety as well as that of her colleagues.
She said in a statement to the tribunal that one of her colleagues received a back injury on January 2, 2001, when he was lifting a ladder with her.
After this incident, which happened a year after she joined the brigade, she was taken off active duty and she was later signed off by a doctor for depression.
She said: "I was distressed at having been responsible for causing this injury.
"I was also conscious of my colleagues finding it awkward and difficult to work with me. There was a lot of resentment on the watch to my presence and I found I was becoming isolated."
Miss Reid, who completed a 19-week training course before being stationed at Preston Circus, remains a probationary firefighter with the brigade and is currently employed on a temporary basis as a trainer.
East Sussex Fire Authority claims it has not discriminated against Miss Reid and has put practices into place to enable shorter people to work as firefighters.
Miss Reid broke down in tears as she was cross-examined by Anna McKenna, representing East Sussex Fire Authority.
She told the tribunal she had become depressed because she felt pressured due to the difficulties her height had caused her in her job.
Miss Reid said: "It was feelings I have never had before, I had completely lost control. I was very emotional and tearful and it could come on at any point."
While cross-examining Miss Reid, Miss McKenna said the job of a firefighter required versatile people and was also very demanding.
She said East Sussex Fire Authority had taken several measures to enable shorter people to work as firefighters.
Miss Reid told the tribunal that she had trouble cleaning the fire engine - she had to use a step ladder to reach it - and using cutting equipment on large commercial vehicles.
She said she could not reach the emergency keys in a lift, which meant she could not deal with any emergency situations involving them.
The hearing was adjourned until tomorrow.
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