Trail Blazing Santa Fe's Female Chief Retires

June 4, 2013
Fire Chief Barbara Salas quietly went where no woman in Santa Fe has.

June 04--Not every soon-to-be-retiree gets to cruise the Santa Fe Plaza one last time before heading off to life after work. It's customary at the Santa Fe Fire Department. That's why, last Friday, Fire Chief Barbara Salas -- the city's first female chief -- took the traditional ride, sirens ablaze, in one of her department's trucks. Starting (where else?) at Fire Station No. 1, the procession circled the Plaza, then swung by the Capitol before ending up in south Santa Fe at the Santa Maria de la Paz Parish Hall.

With that last ride, Santa Fe's first female fire chief stepped away from her career -- keeping the public safe. Now she plans to concentrate on her family, specifically her 7-year-old son. Over the years, Salas quietly blazed a trail, going where no woman had gone with little fuss and much success. For 24 years, the now 40-year-old woman worked for the city of Santa Fe -- beginning as a life guard at age 16 and becoming a paramedic, fire inspector and fire marshal before being appointed chief in 2009. The trajectory made sense: After rescuing a child from drowning, Salas knew her life's work would be keeping people safe. She understood that she wouldn't have a job, but rather, had found a calling.

But her calling was one where women were not always welcome. Still, she applied to join the Santa Fe Fire Department; her year, 300 took the written test, while only 150 went on to take the physical exam. That test included carrying a 50-foot hose up and down four flights of stairs, no easy feat for man or woman. With typical understatement, Salas said earlier this year that there was too much hype about her appointment as the first female chief. "I feel like a firefighter is a firefighter," she told reporter Julie Ann Grimm. True, of course, although most firefighters don't stand just 5 feet tall, as Salas does.

That diminutive presence, though, sent flutters in the hearts of little girls all over the city. The fire chief -- calm, capable and in charge -- was a woman. Even in these days of equality, it still matters when women can break through barriers and show their ability to do any job to which they put their mind.

We wish Chief Salas a happy, productive retirement. Of course, she's so young we wouldn't be surprised to see her back, working in public safety again once her child is older. For now, she's earned the break and the community's thanks for a job well done.

Copyright 2013 - The Santa Fe New Mexican

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