America is proud of its first responders and depends on them, but it may come as a surprise that relatively few of them are female. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Tina Guiler discussed the lack of women in fire departments during an interview with Fox News Digital. The paramedic and firefighter for over 24 years shared that women make up only about six to eight percent of all firefighters across the country.

During her decades in the fire service, Guiler said she has been challenged repeatedly to validate the existence of female firefighters. She said, “I get asked constantly, ‘Are you really a firefighter?’ or I hear, ‘I didn’t know girls can be firefighters.’” To help change this perception and encourage more women to enter the field, Guiler decided to create a line of dolls. The Triple F dolls come in three different characters, Molly, Ash, and Ember, all with authentic firefighting gear and logos from the original Triple F Facebook group.

Guiler said, “These are the most authentic female firefighter plush dolls in the world. They look exactly like firefighters.” Guiler specifically designed each doll, naming Ember and Ash after fire references and Molly after the first known female firefighter in the United States, Molly Williams. Inspiration for the dolls originally sprouted from a Facebook group that one of Guiler’s colleagues created in 2013 to support fellow female firefighters. As the group, called Triple F, or “Fierce Female Firefighters,” grew in popularity, Guiler eventually took over.

She told Fox News Digital, “Our group page now has over 7,100 female firefighters from 58 different countries around the world. It’s the largest support network for female firefighters in the world, and it’s a place where we go to talk about women-[related] fire service issues or give each other support or inspiration.” Ever since the Triple F dolls became available for purchase in 2022, the creator has received positive feedback from kids, who have found the dolls “empowering.”

She said, “I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback on the dolls, from kids saying that they love them, that there’s no female firefighter stuff out there for little kids to enjoy. So, when she saw my dolls, and she saw me, as a woman, walk up to her in my fire gear, she just lit up like a Christmas tree. Like, ‘I can be a girl and a firefighter.’” Guiler added, “It’s really important to have representation and diversity, as you can see with the dolls in the fire service, because it does make a difference … I’m really happy and proud about that.”

In addition to being an entrepreneur, Guiler is also a breast cancer survivor, which led her to create the Triple F Foundation in 2018. She founded the organization to help female firefighters in need, including those who are battling cancer or have been injured on the job. A portion of every doll sale goes toward the Triple F Foundation. Each doll retails for $45 and can be purchased online at firefighterdolls.com.