RI PowerPlayer: Rebecca Fisher
Monday, November 25, 2013
Each week, GoLocal shines the spotlight on one individual who is making an impact on Rhode Island. This week, GoLocal sat down with firefighter Rebecca Fisher, who was recently named the first female shift captain in Middletown.
Congratulations on being named the first female shift captain in Middletown -- and highest ranking female fighter in state history. How have your duties at work changed? And what does it mean to you personally to have achieved the position?
Thank you!
My duties at work have shifted to a supervisory role. As a shift captain it is my responsibility to ensure every emergency call is handled safely, efficiently and within the department’s protocols. We also try to preserve as much property as possible. Unfortunately when people see firefighters they are typically having a really bad day, we try to make it a little better.
To me it means I have attained a goal I set for myself when I first took the oath to be a firefighter. I always hoped to be promoted to a higher level position, and move up in the organization.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTTalk a little bit about what it means to be a female firefighter. Where are women in the field right now -- are they growing in numbers in Rhode Island, nationally? Will we be seeing more?
Being a female firefighter is really the same as being a firefighter. The job does not change based on your gender. With that being said, the introduction of women in the fire service increases its diversity. Having a diverse work force offers a wider scope of problem solving skills, and in the fire service problem solving is a major component of our daily work.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the national trends show a plateau over the past few years. The statistics indicate about 3.4% of the firefighting work force are women, and about 0.5% are first line supervisors (captains). I hope we will start to see more women enter into firefighting and being promoted to higher level positions.
What are any challenges you face in continuing to be successful? What is something about firefighters -- and firefighting -- you wish the public knew, but might not?
The challenges I face being successful are working fulltime, while going to school full time, and raising a family. Fortunately I had some great role models growing up and I know that if I work hard enough I will be successful.
I believe the profession of firefighting is pretty transparent and the public knows the general scope of what we do. Where I think it gets hard to understand is how often we are relied upon in the community. Unless it is your emergency, or a major emergency most of the work we do goes unnoticed. The public doesn't’t see each of the calls we go on, thus leading them to wonder what we are doing in-between the calls that do make the news.
Tell us something no one knows about you.
The first time I played golf, which happened to be with my Dad and Brother, I hit a hole in one.
Role model: My Mom and Dad. Life was challenging for both of them and they were able to work hard and overcome the challenges with finesse and dignity.
Favorite restaurant in RI: Shogun
Favorite beach in RI: East Beach
If you could have dinner with anyone in the world today, who would it be? My family.
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