Then only 22, Prokopetz was one of the first female firefighters hired by the department.
``I was really naive,'' she says now. Prokopetz says she knew she was entering what has traditionally been a man's domain. But she thought if she worked hard and did a good job, she'd win acceptance.
She was very wrong, says Prokopetz, who has filed a B.C. Human Rights Tribunal complaint.
Instead, Prokopetz alleges that from her first day on the job, she was subject to non-stop harassment and discrimination.
She says she was made the butt of crude sexual jokes, had pornography placed on her bunk, was told she shouldn't apply for promotions, was forced to do special training exercises not required of the men and was called a ``dumb bitch'' by her superiors.
``It was a way for them to humiliate me, to make me feel that I was incapable of doing it, that I really shouldn't be there,'' she says. ``It was very demoralizing.''
Prokopetz's allegations about her treatment are now the subject of a complaint, filed in July.
Burnaby city manager Bob Moncur said while city officials are concerned about the allegations, at this point ``they're allegations, they not substantiated.''
He said that before Prokopetz filed her complaint with the human rights tribunal, the city hired its own lawyer to investigate her concerns.
Moncur refused to say whether the internal investigation found any of Prokopetz's human rights complaints were valid.
Moncur said the city expects to file a response to the complaint in the next two months.
Currently, ``we're meeting with senior fire people to discuss their relationship with their staff and whether or not any more sensitivity can be shown or any changes should be made,'' said Moncur.
There are at least eight female firefighters still working in the 250-member fire department, he added.
Burnaby Fire Chief John Stewart was not available for comment on Sunday.
