fireman1

firefighter fire"fight`er, fire fighter fire" fight`er(f[imac]r"f[imac]`t[~e]r), n. A person whose occupation it is to go to the scene of an unwanted fire and extinguish it; a member of a fire company; a {fireman[1]} or a woman who fights fires.

Note: Some towns have few or no professional firefighters, and fire suppression is conducted mostly by groups of volunteers, called {volunteer firefighters}. The term fireman[1] was at one time synonymous with firefighter, until women began to engage in the same occupation. [PJC]