City of Sault Ste. Marie Fire Department has been providing fire protection, rescue, and emergency medical services since its 1884 establishment, but never in that time has it seen a female firefighter until now.
Meet 22-year-old Rachel Vallad, who changed the city’s history on Tuesday, Aug. 9 when Fire Chief Ed Miller brought her into the fire hall to gear up for duty.
But this was not Vallad’s first time at the department. As a 2022 Lake Superior State University (LSSU) Bachelor of Science – Fire Science Generalist graduate, Vallad completed her senior internship at the fire station.
“Lake State helped me adapt to the culture of fire service,” Vallad said. “I learned a lot of useful skills that I will be able to use in my career.”
During Vallad’s internship, Miller noticed her confidence, initiative, problem solving skills, and eagerness to work hard.
“Those things stuck out to me right away,” said Miller. “She's very knowledgeable about what she's doing, and you can see that there's a genuine enthusiasm. Some people see this as a job. In Rachel's eyes, it’s not just a job. This really means something to her. It's exciting to have her here. I think it's going to be a good fit.”
The fire department is currently budgeted for 18 full time firefighters, or six per shift. Another former LSSU intern, Connor Colletti-Parr, is scheduled to start Monday, Aug. 15. A third new-hire is expected to start on Sept. 1 to make for 18 full time firefighters.
Full fledged firefighters can be difficult for departments to find at times. In Fact, Vallad reported a low number of students in LSSU's fire science program.
While Sault fire department provides its own on-the-job training, it cannot put applicants through paramedic programs. Helping recruits through certain Michigan state requirements can be costly and time-consuming for a city department of limited resources.
“We are looking at some options to make it easier on people,” Miller said. “Sometimes, I think we lose out on some quality people. Many of them just because they’re missing one piece of the puzzle.”
MIller reiterated how grateful he was to have Vallad on the fire squad for that reason and more.
“She could have gone anywhere,” he said. “We are very lucky to have her here because she’s going to enhance everything, from what we do in the station to outside the station.”
“No pressure,” Miller said, smirking at his newest hiree.
Vallad returned a soft smile, never changing body language, nor inflection.
She confidently responded, “I wanted to be in this career because I knew I could help people and use my skills and do that.”
Miller was convinced of this on Vallad’s first day as a firefighter.
“She was complimented on her patience, skills, and empathy with a person who had a broken leg,” Miller said. “The team responded and took care of it. Already, it was good feedback.”
Vallad said many women in fire science programs tend to find themselves traveling down other fire-related career paths, like emergency management for sprinkler systems or fire engineering. Unlike many, she was never deterred from entering a male dominated field. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
“I was planning on going through the criminal justice program,” Vallad said. “I moved into fire science because a lot of the classes overlapped. Then, I found that I liked fire science better. So I switched over.”
Vallad noticed an inner desire to help people in need of emergency medical attention when she began taking emergency medical courses.
“I think I found a real passion with emergency medicine,” Vallad said. “I knew I wanted to do something that involved the community and public safety.”
Vallad has successfully completed the paramedic program at LSSU. All she has to do next is take the National Registry exam to obtain state licensure. For now, she will learn all the department’s ins and outs.
“There is a very cool side to department training right now,” Miller said. “Training is going to be geared toward how we operate and what is expected of them as employees. That is taking place now, everyday for three shifts. She's shadowing and we’re putting her in different positions. Then, she'll be counted as part of the shift personnel.”
Once Vallad receives her paramedic license, she will be observed on 24-hour shifts.
“We work three days and have three days off in between,” Vallad said, clarifying her new work schedule. “Then, we have four days off at the end of the cycle.”
Vallad hopes for a “long and fruitful” career ahead, one that may include becoming fire cheif one day.
“This is my everything,” she said. “It is all heading in the right direction for me, here.”
A couple structural modifications need to be made in the department, like building a restroom and extra dorm room. Miller said all that is coming very soon.
“We have plans in place to modify the bathrooms and add facilities that accommodate a changing workforce,” he assured.
Vallad said she has received nothing but the upmost respect from her coworkers. They have treated her as one of the crew, for which she is thankful. Vallad wants others to know they can achieve the same.
“It's important for any woman in the fire service, including myself, to go out there and educate younger women about the fire services as a career option,” said Vallad. “That way, we can get more people into this profession.”
The first thing Vallad plans to do is community outreach to become a familiar face that young women look up to, especially if thinking about becoming a firefighter themselves.
Her advice to them is simple: “Do not be intimidated.”
“You just have to work hard and train hard, so that you're confident in your abilities,” Vallad said. “When you're confident in your abilities, you can be confident in your actions. It’s just about working hard and always telling yourself, “Yes, you can do it.”
Like most people, Vallad experiences days when things do not pan out as expected.
“But that's why you train, so you can fix it,” she said, always striving to better herself and those around her.
“I think you'll be an awesome educator,” Miller jumped in. “Rachel doesn't know it… well, maybe a little, but we're establishing a recruitment committee. We want that committee to be made up of the people who have most recently gone through the hiring process. Rachel is one of them, Austin too.”
Miller believes Vallad can bring knowledge and relatability to Sault Area Public Schools and others nearby.
“I think she is going to be great for our education system,” he added.
A Facebook post made Tuesday to the Sault Ste. Marie Fire Department page reads:
"We are extremely excited to announce this historic milestone for SSMFD; Rachel is our first female hire."
Chief Miller said the department is happy to have her on its team.
