To refer to Cobb County's Fire Chief Rebecca Denlinger as the first woman to serve in that position and even more impressive, one of the first women fire chiefs in the United States to oversee a department as large as Cobb County's, seems to almost take away from who she is as a firefighter and what she has accomplished. As a woman, she has achieved much, but as a fire chief she has accomplished more.
Chief Denlinger was raised in the Church of the Brethren, a reformed arm of the Amish and Mennonite Churches where serving others is a main precept.
"I was raised to believe that service to others is the most important thing," she says adding, "In the end the measure of a person's life is determined by whether [he or she] added meaning and value to others' lives."
Denlinger began her career with the fire service in 1977 advancing through the ranks, holding the positions of firefighter, sergeant (now fire engineer), lieutenant, captain, battalion chief and colonel. In 1997, she was appointed Fire Chief of the Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services department. She is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) where she serves as chair of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Section. She is also a member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Women in the Fire Service International, Women Chief Fire Officers Association, Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs, and currently serves as the fire services representative for the Georgia Homeland Security Task Force. In 2002, she was honored as Georgia Fire Official of the Year, presented by the State Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner.
In her seven years since becoming chief, the Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services department has grown more than 20% and offers one of the highest starting salaries for firefighters in the metro Atlanta area. Working with Cobb County Commissioners, her department has one of the most advanced and updated fleet of engines in the nation, recently taking possession of 12 Custom Cab Pierce Dash engines, the first of 20 new engines that will be put into service this year. The engines follow the recent acquisition of a 2003 Sutphen Custom 70-foot Platform Ladder Truck, along with two new rescue vehicles.
In August, Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services acquired a Medical Operations Vehicle, the first-of-its-kind in the U.S. that runs as an "emergency room on wheels." The vehicle was funded through federal homeland security grants and will be used for medical monitoring and treatment during large mass casualty incidents and special operations. It is also equipped to safely transport patients with infectious disease.
All Cobb County fire engines are equipped with mobile data computers (MDCs), laptops that make communication between firefighters on the scene, the dispatchers, the station house and medical teams more efficient. Denlinger is quick to credit Cobb County officials, especially the Board of Commissioners for their broad and continuous support and funding that substantially aids in fire and rescue operations.
Denlinger oversees operations for 31 fire service locations including 27 fire stations with a proposed new station projected to be located in the Northwest corner of the County.
"There is unsurpassed support for public safety [in Cobb]," says Denlinger. "You can't find a community with better support from elected officials. It's firefighter heaven."
Yet even with all the funding currently available through federal grants, Denlinger is cognizant of the fact that more than 80% of the nation's firefighters work as volunteers.
"Firefighters provide billions of dollars in [unpaid] services and fire protection to every American community," she says, noting that even her own staff of firefighters volunteer in communities around the state on their days off, some serving as voluntary chief officers, in cities like Waleska, Ballground and Banks County.
It is that generous spirit that seems to define our nation's First Responders and it is those men and women who remember their own. Cobb County firefighters created two programs more than 15 years ago to assist fire service families. The Cobb County Emergency Services Death Benefit Fund and the Cobb County Employee Benevolent Fund are voluntary, although more than 90% donate the $52 dollars a year per fund. The Benevolent Fund is a confidential program that assists employees with unexpected financial burdens. The Death Benefit Fund gives a specified financial amount to the beneficiary upon the death of a retired or current employee, his or her spouse or a child under the age of 18. Firefighters are also able to donate their annual leave to a colleague in need.
Currently, Denlinger is focusing on Homeland Security issues and the need for a regional response system. During her tenure, she has worked to facilitate communication and cooperation between the many fire service agencies in Georgia, crediting extraordinary leaders in all segments including emergency management, fire safety, emergency medical services and forestry that have made it possible for them to now speak with "one voice."
"Almost always, in order for the fire service to effectively respond to a disaster more than one local jurisdiction must be involved," says Denlinger who cites Washington DC's Council of Governments (COG) as a beneficial model for regional organization which is comprised of local governments in and around the nation's capital. COG's oversight includes a regional response plan for issues of public safety, economic development, transportation and the environment.
Denlinger is also involved in working to employ a Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) in Georgia, a common communications mechanism that provides for day-to-day fire, EMS and special operations mutual aid between governmental entities in the state. The program, developed in northern Illinois, allows for immediate statewide response under a declaration of disaster, deploying equipment and mobilizing First Responders, EMS and law enforcement to an area in need.
As a fire service officer, Chief Rebecca Denlinger has successfully moved her department into the 21st Century and continues to look beyond for ways to best serve the community and her staff. She is a role model for young girls, but she is a respected member of the nation's elite First Responders, serving others above self.
