TAMPA, Fla — With 23 years of fire service under her belt, Fire Chief Barbara Tripp was sworn in as the department's 22nd commander and first-ever female fire chief.
Mayor Jane Castor, no stranger to firsts, being the first female chief of police for Tampa, understood the role she was putting Tripp in.
"This is a historic moment, you know, to pick the leader of the best fire rescue team in the nation. And so I looked at everyone in the organization and Barbara rose to the top," said Castor.
"She can be that role model for all young women out there in the community. But, the bottom line is, she's not standing here because she's an African American female, she's standing here because she's going to do the best job at leading this department forward."
Tripp grew up in Tampa and has called the city home for most of her life. Despite spending over 20 years with the fire department, she did not always want to be a firefighter.
"I went into the military, came out, after serving the country, I return. Another individual on Emma street says, 'Barbara you oughta get into the fire service.' I said 'no, it's too hot in Tampa.' When he started telling me what we do, how we help people, the hours. I went in, signed up the next day and haven't looked back."
Across the bay, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital announced their new leader. K. Alicia Schulhof is the new president starting July 26th.
This is the first time the hospital will have a female president, but it is far from her first time leading. Most recently she served as the president of Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital and as the president of Indiana University Hospitals—North, Saxony, & Tipton.
Two very different jobs, and two important firsts.
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