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Introduction

Debra Amesqua (born in 1951) was the first woman fire chief of the Madison Fire Department and one of the first women fire chiefs in the country. Additionally, a year into her service she was outed as lesbian by a fellow colleague. She received an incredible amount of criticism from her co-workers and the community, but she refused to throw in the towel. She is now a role model for gay women and is thoroughly respected in her department and community.

Path to Fire Chief

Amesqua grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, where her father worked as a civil engineer. Her family loved music which led to her enrolling at Florida State University with a major in clarinet, eventually hoping to earn a degree in music. Amesqua was a first-generation college student but did not end up graduating. Instead, she got married and had one daughter, Isabelle. Amesqua and her husband divorced after 12 years of marriage. Within this period, she realized that her love of teamwork and getting dirty would make her a great firefighter. In 1983 she became a firefighter in Tallahassee and was also a training officer up until she became the fire chief in Madison (Bell, 2011).

The Years in Madison

When she was hired as fire chief in 1996, she received strong opposition because of her lack of a college degree and experience. Her critics claimed that she was not qualified, especially in comparison to the others that applied for the job. One of her most outspoken critics was Ron Greer, who went to great lengths to see her resign. Greer initiated a campaign against the chief, through which he outed her as gay and spread anti-gay agenda throughout the department. He even accused her of favoring other lesbians in the department. Additionally, in 1998 a “no confidence” vote was held against Amesqua. The results were 171 to 18 in opposition to the chief. Greer was fired that same year per Amesqua’s request, but the criticism did not stop there. In 1999, two Madison firefighters were caught at a bar notorious for drug trafficking. They both plead guilty to misdemeanor cocaine charges. There were nearly 12 other firefighters that were under suspicion after this incident, and Amesqua suspended four of them. This brought even more criticism. Many were under the impression that the fire department was dysfunctional, and the majority blamed this on Amesqua (Bell, 2011).

Gradually, things started looking up. Amesqua stood her ground, and her critics began to realize that she “wasn’t going anywhere.” The negative press surrounding the recent events caused management to grasp that the department needed desperate change. As the environment of the department started to change, Amesqua was able to get to work.

Chief Amesqua oversaw 400 personnel and 12 stations. She also oversaw the opening of two new stations, the first in 25 years. She emphasized fire prevention throughout Dane County, and this resulted in the City of Madison recording only one fire fatality in three and a half years, compared to the national average of seven to eight fatalities in a three-year span (Wisconsin Women Making History, 2020). Amesqua received numerous awards during her career, including Chief of the Year by the Wisconsin State Fire Inspectors Association. After 16 years as the Madison fire chief, she retired in 2012. Perhaps one of her greatest achievements was the overwhelming respect and support that was displayed during the time of her retirement.

References

Bell, M. E. (2011, August 11). Hail to outgoing Madison Fire chief Debra Amesqua. Isthmus. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://isthmus.com/news/news/hail-to-outgoing-madison-fire-chief-debra-amesqua/#.

Debra Amesqua, 1951. Wisconsin Historical Society. (2020, September 8). Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS16440.

Wisconsin women making history. (2020, August 26). Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://womeninwisconsin.org/profile/debra-amesqua/.