Berkeley is about to get its first female fire chief. After a three-month, nationwide search involving dozens of candidates, City Manager Phil Kamlarz has picked Debra Pryor, Deputy Fire Chief for the City of Palo Alto, to succeed retiring Chief Reg Garcia.
It'll be a homecoming for Pryor, 43, who grew up in Berkeley, attending Emerson, Malcolm X and Willard Middle School. She spent the first 15 years of her career with the Berkeley Fire Department before taking the Palo Alto post two years ago.
Being the first female is getting to be a habit for her. She was Berkeley's first female firefighter when she joined the department in 1985. In quick succession, she then became the department's first female lieutenant, first female captain, first female assistant chief, and first female deputy chief.
"I had never seen a woman fire fighter when I was growing up," she said. "But when I was working at my first job after college as a clerk for the Berkeley rent control board, I met a recruiter for the Fire Department. I said, 'Hey, can I do that?' He said yes, so I applied for the job."
But first she had to pass grueling physical tests, including carrying a 50-lb. hose up four flights of stairs and lugging a 170-lb. dummy through a narrow tunnel.
"Fortunately, I was in good shape from college," said Pryor, who attended Arizona State on a track and field scholarship, specializing in the shot put and discus.
The challenges she'll face this time will be far more daunting.
"I know it won't be easy," she said. "I'm walking into some very serious challenges -- a very serious financial position, the loss of a fire truck because Measure M didn't pass, and a great deal of tension between the firefighters union and the city administration. My first job will be to rebuild that trust."
Kamlarz said he's sure she's up to the challenge.
"I've known Deby a long time, ever since she got her first entry-level job with the rent board," he said. "She has the breadth and talent to do this job, and even beyond. I see her some day as chief of a major city fire department, or maybe a future city manager of Berkeley."
Pryor's appointment also is getting high marks around town, especially in the hills, where fire protection is a paramount concern.
"She's smart, dedicated, and easy to work with," said Councilwoman Betty Olds, who represents District 6. "She's exactly what we need."
Pryor will formally take over the department in mid-December. "I'm really looking forward to coming home," she said.
