Tampa's first female firefighter honored by city

TAMPA, Fla. - This year marks 45 years since Tampa Fire Rescue hired its first female firefighter.

On Thursday, Tampa City Council will recognize Mechy Fernandez Wright, the first female firefighter, with a commendation award for her service.

Fernandez Wright joined Tampa Fire Rescue on June 25, 1978. She served for exactly 20 years, retiring on June 25, 1998.

As a mother of two at the time, she says becoming a firefighter was never on her radar.

"It's the furthest thing from my mind," she shared.

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Fernandez Wright said she was playing in a tennis tournament, when she was recruited by a fire chief. She said she went through training and agility tests, and eventually passed the tests necessary to become a firefighter.

"I knew that I was getting into a fraternity of brothers and I had to do whatever I could to be accepted and to ease in, because I knew it was not going to change overnight," she explained.

Fernandez Wright was the first female firefighter hired. Courtesy: Mechy Fernandez Wright

Fernandez Wright fully embraced being ‘one of the guys’. The fire station, the gear and the atmosphere was not designed for women.

"There was not bunker gear or fire protective gear for women," she recalled. "I mean, I had to wear a men's size 44 coat and a men's size seven and a half for a boot. I had to stick socks in the toes, so it would fit, because that's all they had available for me."

Fernandez Wright said she certainly experienced a lot over her two decades in the fire service, but she made a promise to herself.

"I am a Cuban refugee," she said. "And so when my parents went through our whole family getting divided, losing everything, and I thought, ‘You know, if they could go through that, I can go through this.’"

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She says her upbringing and experiences made her stronger.

Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera will present Fernandez Wright with the award at the city council meeting.

"She's a woman who's fought her entire life," Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera said.

For 20 years, Fernandez Wright worked alongside the men, proving herself as an asset to all 19 existing Tampa Fire Rescue stations at the time.

Fernandez Wright is a grandmother now. She retired from Tampa Fire Rescue in 1998. Courtesy: Mechy Fernandez Wright

"Because a lot of guys thought ‘Oh, your little.’ I’m a small person, just strong," she said. "And they thought, ‘You can’t carry me out here.’ I'm like, ‘Sure I can. I won't leave you behind. So I'm going to carry you out because I'm not staying in there.’"

"Every single woman who today serves in Tampa Fire Rescue owes this woman a debt of gratitude," Viera said. "And we all do."

Viera said it’s important to recognize the leaders in Tampa’s history who have paved the way for so many people.

She was a mother of two when she decided to become a firefighter. Courtesy: Mechy Fernandez Wright 

"Number one, we have to honor our past and honor those heroes and trailblazers who came before us," Viera said. "But number two, that we also have to be sensitive to issues of today. Who are going to be the Ms. Fernandez 45 years from now, who we honor, who are the first of today?"

Decades later and now a grandmother, Fernandez Wright reflects on her 20-year career as a firefighter. She says she’s extremely proud of what she accomplished, and shares a message for other women.

"I had fabulous times while I was serving, and I had very dark ones," she said. "And when the dark times come, just remember, you know, when you fall or people kick you down, when you get up, you're stronger."