She fought hard to become New York's first female firefighter, survived 9/11 ordeal

Fighting a deadly fire while grieving the death of scores of colleagues during the 9/11 terrorist attack in the US still haunts Captain Brenda Berkman, New York's first female firefighter, to this day.

September 11 was the most dangerous incident in her 25-year career. "I felt I was going to lose my life. Conditions were out of control. It was luck [that decided] who lost their life or who did not," she recounted in an interview on the sidelines of the Global Women's Forum in Dubai, where she was a speaker.

Berkman, 68, worked with about 250 of the 343 firefighters who died on the site.

"Many of them were close friends. We were grieving the loss of those colleagues while fighting the fire.

"It was very difficult time. We lost much of our senior leadership. We had to really rebuild the fire department," said the gender equality advocate who retired from service in 2006. She fought for gender parity

The pioneering firefighter entered the then male-dominated service in 1982 after successfully winning a legal battle against the New York City Fire Department.

Reflecting on the public's interest in female firefighters in those days, she said journalists used to chase fire trucks carrying women fire crew.

"That did not necessarily make women comfortable to be under the microscope like that [while working]," Berkman said, adding she still understood why there was a media interest in something 'new'.

She expressed hope that the messages on women's empowerment from the Dubai forum would have a ripple effect not only in the Middle East but across the globe.

"The conference brings women together and gives a message that we are not separated by countries, borders or regions... and that all women are working together," Berkman said.

Berkman founded and was the first president of the United Women Firefighters in the US. She was appointed a White House Fellow by President Bill Clinton.

Her struggle is the subject of the PBS documentary named Taking the Heat: The First Women Firefighters in New York City. - Wam