Miami Dade Fire Rescue

Highly Engaged Employees

*Work of which she is proud: I created Triple F in a moment of fevered inspiration. It was May 2013, three months after my mother died. Id been a firefighter/paramedic with Miami Dade Fire Rescue for nine years, and on that morning I little suspected what a powerful inspiration my mother would serve when it came to my relationship with the fire ser... vice. Three months after her crossing, I was running in a wildlife park outside of Key Largo, when a wave of emotion flooded me. My mother was a shining, passionate spirit, who loved to see everyones dreams come true, and as I ran through the wild hammock I felt as if her spirit flooded me with love and gratitude. I thought back to my grad school days when I was getting an M.A. in Womens Studies in Religion (WSR). This had been an exciting, but challenging time in which I really had to step it up academically. Not only were we expected to read 800 pages of Nietzsche in a single week (I didnt do it) and pump out 30 page papers every semester (that I could do!), I was surrounded by many students far smarter than me. In some ways I was out of my league, learning to navigate brand new pathways, but there was a beacon in my midst who made it a lot easier. And fun too. Her name was Dr. Karen Torjesen and she was my professor and Dean. Every month, Professor Torjesen would invite the students from her WSR program to her house for wine and chocolate. Wed come together in a spirit of solidarity, and while sipping on wine in her lovely living room, wed share how our studies were going, what we were thinking of writing our thesis on, and how we were doing emotionally and spiritually. Professor Torjesen fostered an environment of support, one devoid of competition or pettiness. She brought us all closer and made it clear that she expected us to act as sisters who aided and supported one another so we could all reach our highest potential. Wouldnt it be cool, I thought, as I ran that day, if something like that existed for the fire service! A place where women could come ...Read More