FL Department's First Female FF Sees Daughter Take Up Career

    June 5, 2020
    Pam Garcia began working as a Delray Beach firefighter in 1983. Nearly 40 years later, her daughter, Taylor, has become a firefighter at the same department.

    Nearly 40 years after being hired, the first female firefighter at a FL department is now seeing her daughter following a similar career path.

    Pam Garcia began working as a Delray Beach firefighter in 1983, WPTV-TV reports. She retired nine years ago.

    Now her daughter, Taylor, is working as a Delray Beach. She started in March.

    “I don’t think there was ever a point I didn’t want to do it,” Taylor Garcia told WPTV.

    As Taylor has started her career, her mom has been able to give her advice in the profession. In fact, Taylor's mom is also with her, after a fashion.

    “There are always little mom thoughts in the back of my head when I am on a call or doing a rescue shift, ‘Hey, what would mom do,’ ” she told WPTV.

    While Pam Garcia is proud of her daughter's accomplishments, she also knows the dangers of the job. That mix of firefighter knowledge and motherly concern can lead to uncomfortable thoughts and emotions.

    “It can be nerve-racking," she told WPTV. "I know what this profession entails."