Lithuania’s first female fire and rescue service chief faces skepticism

Erika Laurinėnienė has become the first and so far only woman in Lithuania to lead a fire and rescue service, according to a report by LRT.lt.

Her appointment as head of the Šalčininkai Fire and Rescue Service was officially announced in early June by Renatas Požėla, director of the Fire Protection and Rescue Department, alongside Nerijus Statkus, head of the Vilnius Fire and Rescue Board.

Laurinėnienė, who studied ecology and environmental policy, joined the Šalčininkai service almost by chance a decade ago. She now leads a team of 40, though she attributes her success to the support of colleagues who believed in her more than she believed in herself.

She describes her biggest challenge not as the new responsibilities, but the shift in relationships with long-time coworkers, some of whom struggle to accept a woman in charge. Laurinėnienė avoids grand statements about heroism, emphasizing instead the responsibility of the role, where decisions can mean the difference between life and death.

Outside of work, she is known for her animal welfare efforts, for which she has received recognition.