Careers & Education

First Female FF in CT Honored Ahead of Retirement

May 25, 2020

Ellen Murray, who joined the fire service in 1982, was named fire chief of the Naugatuck Fire Department in 2016.

By Tara O'Neill

Source Connecticut Post, Bridgeport, Conn.

Firefighters celebrated Naugatuck Fire Department Fire Chief Ellen Murray's June retirement last week.

NAUGATUCK — The state’s first female career firefighter was celebrated by her colleagues Friday ahead of her retirement in June.

Ellen Murray was honored by her fellow firefighters during a ceremony on Friday that featured banners, photos and a cake.

Murray became a firefighter on a whim in 1982, according to the Naugatuck Fire Department.

She worked her way up the ranks at the Stratford Fire Department, where she spent 28 years before she joined the Naugatuck Fire Department as deputy chief in 2011.

Murray was promoted to the rank of fire chief in 2016.

She was among a group of women selected to be recognized by the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame, which honored “Heroic Women: Honoring Those Who Protect & Service,” back in 2017, according to the Hartford Courant.

“Congratulations on a long and distinguished career, chief,” the department said. “Enjoy your retirement!”

———

Visit the Connecticut Post (Bridgeport, Conn.) at www.ctpost.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.