City Sets Underwear Rule For Firefighters

A Canadian city under pressure for sexual harassment within its fire department has ordered firefighters to wear only boxer-style underwear.

The city of Richmond in British Columbia will spend about $14,000 to buy six pairs of underwear for each of its firefighter in a bid to make firehalls in the suburb of Vancouver more gender neutral.

"We supply firefighters with various pieces of gear such as gloves, now it's underwear", city official Ted Townsend tells a local newspaper, saying the change was for the "integration of the sexes in the workplace".

Firefighters strip off most of their clothes in order to don protective gear when responding to fire alarms. Which is likely what forced the change, although and a recent investigation also described "juvenile and hostile behaviour" towards female firefighters.

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