Gryphon,
I would regard being referred to as a Fireman a compliment since I was a Fireman before I was a Firefighter. I was hired in 1976 by a California municipality for the position of Fireman. It wasn’t until a few years later that the job title was officially changed to Firefighter out of political correctness. If Fireman refers to a job held by a member of the human race (man) then it’s not gender identifying; however, the decision was made to adopt the job title Firefighter so it would not be considered gender offensive.
Fireman became Firefighter instead of Fireman and Firewoman.
Policeman became Police Officer instead of Policeman and Policewoman.
Mailman became Mail Carrier instead of Mailman and Mailwoman which may have been confusing. 🙂 😉