New chief becomes first woman to lead Nedrow, N.Y., Fire Department
By Diana LaMattina
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York)
Copyright 2007 Post-Standard
All Rights Reserved
ONONDAGA, N.Y. — It should come as no surprise Barbara McCann is the new chief of the Nedrow Fire Department — it was the only position she hadn’t yet filled in her tenure at the department.
“This has been my home since I can remember,” said McCann, 49. “It just has been a way of life.”
McCann officially became the first woman chief of the Nedrow Fire Department Jan. 8 at the annual business meeting.
She never really set out to be chief; it was just a natural progression, she said.
“I had been around here for so long; I grew up here,” McCann said. “I was accepted readily. It was a lot easier than coming from the outside would have been.”
McCann first started coming to the Nedrow Fire Department with her father, Jim, who had been a member since the early 1950s until his death in 1994.
In 1974, she joined the women’s auxiliary. “Because they wouldn’t let me join the department,” McCann said. “That just wasn’t the thing to do.”
After working her way through the offices of the auxiliary, she took on the challenge of being an emergency medical technician in 1985. She then decided to join the department as a firefighter in 1986.
“What made me want to do it? The challenge, I think, maybe proving to myself that I did belong as a firefighter,” McCann said.
She took the challenge seriously. She was intent on proving that she could pull her own weight. She became the first and only female interior firefighter.
“The first house fire was frightening - absolutely frightening. It still is when you go in,” McCann said. “The day that it isn’t is the day I’m gonna hang up my gear. It means that you’ve lost your edge. You can’t be too confident.”
A woman joined the department a year before McCann but left. Another woman, Michelle Viau , joined in the early 1980s, became an emergency medical technician and then a firefighter. She recently became an inactive member after 20 years of service. Viau is the only other woman currently in the department of 36 members.
In 1998, after making her way through the corporate offices, she was appointed as the first woman president of the Onondaga County Volunteer Firemen’s Association.
“That gave me more respect and trust here,” McCann said. “That helped me to gain trust from the guys here. I guess they figured that if I was good enough for the county, I was good enough for here.”
A couple of months later, she was asked to run for lieutenant. About three years later, she was asked to become captain and then assistant chief.
“Each time, it was a pretty mixed feeling,” McCann said. “That was pretty good; OK, I hope I can meet this challenge, too.”
Harold Smith had been a chief in Nedrow for about 30 years, then started talking about not running for chief in the election for 2007 firematic officers.
“I kinda knew he was pretty serious about it, and he seemed to be prepping me,” McCann said. “He has taught me everything I know.
“He has forgotten more about firefighting than most people ever learn.”
She said she’s ready to take on the challenge of being chief. After watching Smith for years in the position, she has seen the accountabilities that come with the position. But the reality of the situation really hit when she took the reins, she said.
“It’s the ultimate responsibility,” McCann said. “You have the total responsibility of the entire building, contents of the building, the people and the daily operations on your shoulders.”
The Nedrow Fire Department covers about one square mile, which includes 836 homes and 94 businesses in the town of Onondaga. In a typical year, they respond to 500 calls a year, Smith said.
“It’s kind of unnerving to think that now every time those vehicles roll out, and no matter what happens, I am responsible for everything - everything someone says or does,” McCann said.
“That’s the frightening part; how do you have control over that?”
In order of priorities, safety tops the list, she said. To ensure safety, she plans to continue having all members keep up on training and keep the lines of communication open. Budgets and financial requirements are also of importance, and she plans to have the department continue working toward grants and fundraising.
In her early days of chief, McCann is finding out that the role means spending more time making sure everything is happening as it should.
“Our (department) policy has always been home and work come first - at least until you’re chief,” McCann said. “Unfortunately, I can see some home things and recreation taking a back seat on occasion.”
As a registered nurse at the Onondaga Nation Clinic, McCann said she feels lucky to work so close to the fire district. In addition, the Nedrow Fire Department often works hand-in-hand with the Onondaga Nation, McCann said.
McCann said she hopes she can inspire the younger members of the department to pursue their goals and take on responsibilities in the department. She laughs as she acknowledges that as she’s starting her term as chief at almost 50, most fire chiefs might be contemplating retirement at around that age.
“I want the young people to know how much I respect them for doing what they (do),” McCann said. “I really hope they see that you can do anything that you set your mind to; it doesn’t matter how old yo