Michele Fitzsimmons
Michele Fitzsimmons was originally planning to be a social worker for people living with HIV and AIDS, but she started getting burned out after seven years on the job. Knowing she wanted her next job to be something physical without “office hours,” she reconsidered her childhood dream of becoming a firefighter. Though she had been discouraged from the profession by her grandfather — a retired FDNY Battalion Chief himself — for being a woman, Fitzsimmons decided to follow her heart and was sworn into the department in 2001. Recently promoted to the rank of Battalion Chief, Fitzsimmons is now only the second woman in the 155-year history of the New York Fire Department to attain the distinction. It’s a long time coming for Fitzsimmons, who has been a member of the FDNY for almost two decades and has worked in areas all around the city, from Chelsea, to Washington Heights, to Corona. During 9/11, Fitzsimmons bravely served at Ground Zero just months after graduating the fire academy. “The most rewarding aspect of my job is serving the people of NYC,” she tells GO. “I love being able to help people in a time of crisis. We respond to all sorts of emergencies, big and small. … We show up and fix the problem. In my new role, I’ll be supervising multiple units, and I see this as an opportunity to expand the reach of service.” —IL
