Notable women
MOLLY WILLIAMS
In the 1800s Molly Williams was the first formally enslaved Black woman in fire. She is also the first known woman in fire. She served as a volunteer firefighter in New York City for Oceanus Engine Co. 11.
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The former slave to one of the firefighters, she would go to the station with him, cook and clean, and when diseases outbreaks occurred, she was known to replace the crew members and join the other firefighters on the fire engine
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She used to be called “Volunteer No. 11.”
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Learn more about Molly Williams:
BROOKE GUINAN
She was the first openly trans woman in the New York City Fire Department.
Learn more about Brooke Guinan:
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Woman on Fire: documentary following her transition → watch on Amazon prime, Peacock
CHIEF ROSEMARY ROBERTS CLOUD
She was the first African American Fire Chief in the United States. She is the Fire Chief for the City of East Point, Georgia. Served as Fire chief from May 6, 2002, till retirement in January 2015.
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In 2019, the City of East Point named the new Fire Station #4, “the Chief Rosemary Roberts Cloud Fire Station & Training Facility”
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Learn more about Chief Cloud:
RUTH E CAPELLO
In 1973, she became the first female fire chief in the United States. She worked in Butte Falls, Oregon for the Butte Falls Volunteer Fire & Rescue
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Learn more about Ruth E Capello:
DEANNE SCHULMAN
In 1981 she became the first female smokejumper in the United States. She started on an engine crew, then worked on a helideck crew for the 1975 and 1976 fire seasons, followed by two years on a hotshot crew. She originally passed the physical and mental tests required, however, was kicked out of the program due to being 5lbs under the required weight of 130 pounds, despite this requirement being waived for men in previous years. She filed an Equal Opportunity Commission, and was hired in 1981, making her the first female smokejumper in US history.
Learn more about Deanne Schulman:
SHAWNA LEGARZA
In 2018, she retired from her position as Director of Fire and Aviation Management after a long career in wildland firefighting that started when the numbers of women were exceptionally low. She began her federal career working on an engine crew in Elko, NV for the BLM. spent time working for the Black Mountain Hotshots in Nevada. Throughout her career she faced barriers as a woman in wildland fire, ascending through the ranks, including a Hotshot Superintendent, District Fire Management Officer on the San Juan National Forest, Forest Fire Management Officer on the San Bernardino National Forest, and eventually Director of Fire and Aviation Management. After retiring from this position she accepted a position as the Emergency Management Coordinator in Durango, Colorado.
Learn more about Shawna Legarza:
JUDITH LIVERS BREWER
In March of 1974, Judith Livers Brewer became the first women career firefighter in the United States, for the Arlington County Fire Department. She later retired as a battalion chief
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Learn more about Judith Livers Brewer:
SANDRA FORCIER
GERALDINE “GERI” BERGEN LARSON
In 1978 she accepted the position of deputy forest supervisor of the Tahoe National Forest, making her the first female line officer. In 1985 she took over as supervisor, making her the first female forest supervisor in the agency’s history.
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Learn More about Geri:​
In July of 1963, Sandra Forcier became the first women in the United States to be hired into a paid suppression role. She as hired as a Public Saftey officer, a combination of police officer and firefighter, in Winston-Salem, North-Carolina. She retired as a Batallion Chief.