Nadya-Lyse Pare has a bigger pair of steel-toed boots to fill.
Wednesday night, the 41-year-old became the first woman in HRM to be promoted to the role of career operational officer.
“Before, I was a firefighter, and now I’ll run a fire station,” said Pare, who will be in charge of station 23 in Chezzetcook. “It’s a very proud moment for me.”
She was among 30 firefighters promoted that night.
“I am honoured to stand beside these men and women that have proven they have what it takes to move up in the ranks of our fire department,” fire chief Bill Mosher said in a release.
Pare is one of only 20 women among the 456 full-time firefighters working in HRM. She’s been a member of the department for 14 years, beginning as a firefighter and rising through the ranks, including working as an engineer.
Mosher says this is an important milestone for HRM because it demonstrates women can succeed in a traditionally male-dominated profession. He also hopes other women will recognize that brute strength is not a requirement to fight fires, and apply to the force
