City of South Fulton fire captain is breaking barriers

FULTON COUNTY, Ga — City of South Fulton Fire Captain Tangela Rowe says being a fire captain wasn’t a lifelong dream, because some of the barriers had not yet been broken.  “As a little girl, I never saw the fire service as a viable profession for me. To be honest, I never saw any firefighters who looked like me,” Rowe explained.

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Fire service statistics show that less than 7% of all the firefighters in the U.S. are Black. Less than 0.5% are Black women. Yet Rowe has just received an award reserved for being the best of the best.

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“This is a credential that is very difficult to get. You’re graded by your peers for this. So we’re extremely proud of her,” Assistant Fire Chief Jimmy Gittens said. The captain is now a nationally designated fire officer. The award recognizes a career of excellence and professionalism. Rowe is part of an elite group of just over 600 certified fire officers in the entire country.

Rowe says it’s humbling. But unlike the time when she was a little girl, she hopes the little girls of today will see her and want to follow in her footsteps.

“Representation matters. Young Black girls, young brown girls, young whatever. They need to be able to see themselves in professions like this,” Rowe said.

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