Welcome to Fire Station 102.

This is our movie theater.

This is where all the magic happens.

The magic?

Yes.

This is our staff personnel, Daley.

Our battalion chief, Williamson.

My fearless leader.

Hi, how are you?

We solve world problems right here.

My career began in fire back in 1998 where I met an individual that was in the fire service.

And I asked the question, "Do you think I could do this?"

And his response to me was, "No."

And I asked, "Well, why?"

He said, "Because you're female and you're Black."

You know, I'm not sure the reason he said that, but it motivated me to go after the career.

I knew nothing about it.

Coming from the islands, we don't have a fire department like this, like in this country, but it motivated me to pursue and see what it had to offer.

I was raised in Jamaica.

I was raised by a farmer, Roy Whitehorne, and my mother, Rosemary Thorny, who was a housewife, and eventually became a secretary.

But my dad instilled in me the value of hard work.

Being on the farm, I had to get up each morning before going to school and do whatever chores he assigned to me, and that's how I made my allowance.

It instilled in me completing a task each day.

And then my mom, there are things that she would make me do before leaving the house, such as making my bed, saying my prayers.

And those things carried through life for me and I do them still to this day, and I complete things.

At least I get something completed as soon as I get out of bed.

So my mom and my dad are the ones that really instilled the values that made me who I am today.

I started my career in the city of Deerfield Beach who welcomed me, thank god, in 2000.

July, 10th of 2000, I started here.

It was then Deerfield Beach Fire Rescue.

We merged with BSO in 2011.

As a firefighter entry level, I had no idea what I was getting into.

Again, someone told me I couldn't do it.

It's not like I always desired to do that.

But I rose to the challenge.

And after coming here, the warmth, the welcome, and the support that I received, I said, "I must, I have to follow through."

And so in 2006, I became a lieutenant, which was my first promotion.

I was a lieutenant since 2006 to 2022 when I was promoted to district fire chief.

This is the living areas.

This station, we have daily 11 operation on duty, but we can upstaff a total of 25 in the event we have a catastrophic event such as a hurricane or whatever incident may happen.

So we could upstaff to 25 personnel.

In 2008, I was in a horrific accident where I broke my femur, multiple bones, was hospitalized for three days.

And I thought to myself, "Well, if this becomes the end of my career as a firefighter, then what?"

So I had to have a backup plan.

Thank God I was able to overcome the injuries and return back to full duty five months later.

But in the meantime, I pursued becoming nurse.

And after becoming a nurse, I liked it so much, I wanted to take it a step further, then I became a nurse practitioner years later.

About a few months ago, a gentleman stopped me in the hallway.

He had his two little girls with him.

And he took the time to say, "Hey, girls, I want you to meet the fire chief."

"And not only is she's the fire chief, she's also a nurse practitioner."

And the fact that he looked at me as someone that he wants his young girls to look up to, to say, "Hey, you can achieve whatever it is that you set out to be," it tells me that I made the right choice, it tells me that I'm where I need to be, it tells me that I'm following the path that was meant for me.

I do not view being a female and the firefighters measuring up to a man because the standards, the industry standards are not set for a man.

They're set for anyone who can pass them, meet the requirements, have the certification, and get it hired.

So, no, I will not look at myself that I need to measure up to a man.

No, I need to be able to perform the job, duties, and responsibilities of firefighter.

And clearly, I met the criteria because I was hired.

So this is the bay area.

We have air compressor, the gym is on the second floor, extra hose and nozzles that we may need.

These are the two engines.

Being the district chief is not just making sure that the men and women have what they need to go out to serve the community the best of their abilities, it's relationships that I built with the electives, the city manager, the city staff.

It's managing a rather large budget.

It's dynamic, it's complex, but I love it.

I would say the most difficult part of my job is making sure I'm doing the right thing for the men and women 'cause I make those decisions.

I'm a part of that decision.

I wanna make sure I'm doing what's right, what's safe, what's ethical, what's moral, and also for the community.

And I reflect starting in this city 24 years ago as a firefighter, to know that I'm the district chief today, it humbles me.

I'm very happy and proud to be in the position to be able to provide for the men and women to go out to do the awesome job that they do every day and to serve the citizens 'cause they deserve the best.

It's important for me to share my story with younger girls because I want them to know that, yes, life has obstacles and challenges, but with hard work, dedication, and your commitment, there isn't anything you cannot overcome.

And my story's not just for girls, it's for anyone who faces a challenge.

Go after it, be diligent, commit yourself, and don't let anything or anyone stop you because it can be achieved.

And I'm living proof of that.