The District of Columbia Fire and EMS department announce the promotion of Queen Anunay, the first woman in department history to attain the uniformed rank of Assistant Fire Chief.
Assistant Fire Chief Anunay is a native Washingtonian and graduate of Eastern High School.
Assistant Chief Anunay’s 31-year career started with the DC Fire and EMS Cadet Program in 1991 and worked her first 15-years in fire operations before attending paramedic school, the department said in a press release.
Anunay credits her decision to attend medic school with her acceleration into leadership roles. She has worked as an EMS Supervisor, fire Captain, and Battalion Chief in Operations and the Fire Prevention Division before being promoted to Deputy Fire Chief of EMS in 2020.
Deputy Fire Chief had been the highest rank a woman had attained in the DC Fire Department until her promotion of Assistant Fire Chief of EMS.
Chief Anunay says retired Deputy Fire Chief Beatrice Rudder, the first woman to become a firefighter in DC, was her mentor: “Meeting her began my quest to soar to the top, I felt empowered, seeing the respect she received with other male officers and carrying her own weight.”
“Being the Assistant Chief of EMS is a tremendous responsibility,” shared Chief Anunay. “It’s a place where you can set the tone, and make sure that we do a great job at accountability and customer service. When you get to lead from the assistant position, it’s huge because there’s only one person above you and that’s the Fire Chief. Its very humbling.”
