By JANE LaTOUR

On 9-11, female Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics and Police Officers rushed to the World Trade Center. Women — as highly trained and dedicated first responders —were an integral part of the outpouring of rescue workers.

“Women at Ground Zero: Stories of Courage and Compassion,” by Susan Hagen and Mary Carouba, is a collection of photographs and interviews with 30 women who were intensely involved in the rescue and recovery efforts. The book shares the stories of women like DC 37 members Janet Olszewski and Amy Monroe of Uniformed EMS Officers Local 3621. Both highly accomplished EMS veterans volunteered on Sept. 11.

Newly assigned to Command Headquarters in Brooklyn, Capt. Olszewski had no gear there and rushed to the Twin Towers in her office uniform. As part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Urban Search and Rescue Team, Lt. Monroe (promoted to captain Jan. 29) was exceptionally well qualified for duty on that day.

These women, doing their jobs, knowing they could die, tell but two of the outstanding stories in the book. The larger story is that the “Women at Ground Zero” provides a window into the experiences of women working in what are still known as “men’s jobs.”

While the EMS has made great progress in incorporating women into its ranks (35 percent of EMTs and Paramedics Local 2507 members are female), most of the occupations profiled in the book are still “nontraditional” for women.

As Amy Monroe observes, “Women are still very stigmatized. This is still perceived as a man’s job.” Women first joined the Fire Dept. in 1982. Yet many New Yorkers still have no idea that women fight fires and form part of “the brotherhood” of the FDNY.

The interviews are eloquent and the photographs are stunning. An extra dimension lies in the book’s value for young readers. Amy Monroe points out that, “I think it’s really important for the little girls in this country to read this book and see that women are not afraid to do dangerous things . . . I want to tell those little girls, ‘You can do anything, too. You can be anything you want to be.’ ”

Copies of the book are available at the DC 37 Education Fund members’ library, 2nd floor, 125 Barclay Street.