March 26 (UPI) — Kristin Crowley has become the first woman to lead the Los Angeles Fire Department after she was sworn in during a ceremony on Friday.
She also made history as the first paramedic and the first member of the LGBTQ community to hold the fire chief office, the LAFD said in a statement.
In comments about being a trailblazing woman in a male-dominated profession, Crowley told CBS News that she repeatedly had to prove herself to other firefighters throughout her career. Only about 100 of the city’s 3,700 firefighters are women.
“The eyes are on you but they are on you just a little bit longer. Just say ‘Eh, can you do the job?’ It’s like ‘Yes, I can do the job and I’ll show you,'” she said.
Crowley has served the fire department for 22 years, working her way through the ranks after starting as a paramedic intern. She has also served as a firefighter, engineer, and fire inspector before taking more senior leadership roles.
She was also lauded by the LAFD for having been “instrumental” in the department’s youth development program, which has trained more than 1,000 public school students in the fundamentals of becoming a firefighter.
Women in Fire, a national nonprofit organization for female firefighters, has said that about 6,200 women work as full-time career officers and firefighters in the United States and about 150 of them serve as battalion and division chiefs.
Kristin Crowley becomes first woman to lead Los Angeles Fire Department
Source: Philippines Majesty
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