Breaking The Fire Dept. Glass Ceiling
by Doug La Rocque
It was just before Christmas when Lisa Symington realized a dream she has had since she was a senior in high school and joined the Mountain View Fire Company in Brunswick. Her fellow firefighters bestowed their trust and respect for all she has done, voting her Chief of the Department. With that vote, she becomes Mountain View’s and the Town of Brunswick’s first female fire chief and according to Rensselaer County’s long time Fire Coordinator, Ivan Wagar, only the second in Rensselaer County history.
The honor of being the first female chief belongs to Sue Bell, who headed up firematics for the West Sand Lake Fire Department a few years back. The longest serving fire chief in the county, Grafton’s Jim Goyer, says he cannot remember any others as well. As far as Chief Symington goes, Chief Goyer simply says “good for her.” A similar sentiment was expressed by Brunswick Town Supervisor Phil Herrington, who said she “is a great person for the position, all will be good with her in charge.”
For Chief Symington, it has been a long climb to the top of the ladder, spending several years learning the responsibilities of a firefighter from the other members of her department, eventually moving up the ranks as an officer. But as only the second female fire chief in Rensselaer County, she admits to feeling some pressure. “I know I will have to work hard to prove myself,” she tells The Eastwick Press. But overall, when asked about putting on the white hat that says Chief, she says “yes, it feels pretty good.”