The Springfield fire Department recently welcomed 14 new recruits, but only one of them made history on her first day.
Chanel Jackson, who was born and raised in Springfield, is the first Black woman to be a firefighter in the city’s history.
After returning to Springfield after serving in the Marine Corps, Jackson told WCIA News, “I just really have always enjoyed helping people any way that I can. And I felt like this was a really good way to kind of reach out and do different things for the community.”
Springfield Fire Chief Ed Canny told WCIA that the department puts a big focus on minority recruitment, and a big part of that is changing the perception of firefighters.
But Jackson thinks it takes more than just the department ramping up recruitment efforts to get people of color into these fields.
“If you see a job that doesn’t have anybody that looks like you and you’re interested in it, it’s probably not because they’re not going to be accepting of you. Because I’ve been extremely accepted by everyone that I’ve come into contact with,” Jackson said. “It’s just probably because nobody’s taken that step and gotten in there. So just take the step.”
On her first day, Jackson got busy. She helped put out a small house fire, and helped deliver a baby.
