Rhoda Mae Kerr
Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr is a seasoned Fire Chief who has a rich history as a leader in the fi re service at the local and national levels. Chief Kerr has a wealth of experience and is currently the Fire Chief in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Women's History Month is a perfect way and time to celebrate her contributions. A fourth-generation fi re fi ghter, Rhoda Mae began her fi re service career in 1983 in Fort Lauderdale. She rose through the ranks to Deputy Fire Chief...and then an opportunity came knocking. Chief Kerr became the Fire Chief in Little Rock, Arkansas for 5 years and then moved on to Austin, Texas where she was the Fire Chief for 10 years. The opportunity to return to Fort Lauderdale then came her way and she took advantage of it. She has been their Fire Chief since 2018 and is the fi rst woman Fire Chief in the history of their city. But that's only part of her story and believe me, I can't begin to tell it all here. Just to give some of the highlights: Chief Kerr was the fi rst woman to serve as President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), she was President of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association (Metro Chiefs), and served as President of the National Society of Executive Fire O ffi cers (NSEFO). Before entering the fi re service, Rhoda Mae Rhoda Mae Kerr is a seasoned fire chief who has a rich history as a leader in the fire service at the local and national levels. Rhoda Mae has a wealth of experience and is currently the fire chief in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Women’s History Month is a perfect way and time to celebrate her contributions. A fourth-generation firefighter, Rhoda Mae began her fire service career in 1983 in Fort Lauderdale. She rose through the ranks to deputy fire chief, and then an opportunity came knocking. Rhoda Mae became the fire chief in Little Rock, Arkansas, for five years and then moved on to Austin, Texas, where she was the fire chief for 10 years. The opportunity to return to Fort Lauderdale then came her way and she took advantage of it. She has been their fire chief since 2018 and is the first woman fire chief in the history of their city. But that’s only part of her story and believe me, I can’t begin to tell it all here. Just to give some of the highlights: Rhoda Mae was the first woman to serve as president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). She was president of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association (Metro Chiefs) and served as president of the National Society of Executive Fire Officers (NSEFO). Before entering the fire service, Rhoda Mae was a coach and physical education teacher at a high school for 12 years.
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