WOODMERE, Ohio — Wednesday night, Woodmere Village Council unanimously passed a motion to select Captain Gina DeVito-Staub as its new fire chief.
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She's the first woman to serve in the role in village history, according to village officials.
In June, Mayor Benjamin Holbert said that Devito-Staub, "emerged from a crowded field of applicants who applied for the top job in the fire division. She participated in a series of panel, and administrative interviews, and distinguished herself as a superb candidate to lead the Woodmere Village fire division.”
The department is comprised of 29 part-time firefighters, EMTs, paramedics and fire inspectors and serves around 700 residents.
Prior to her new role, the village said Devito-Staub worked the last 25 years with the Twinsburg Fire Department. She's a Hiram College graduate with a degree in biology and holds an MBA and Masters in Leadership from Grand Canyon University. She's also a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program and also works on the Summit County Hazardous Materials Team.
According to the village, only 8% of female firefighters nationwide are female.
The village hopes that by hiring Devito-Staub it will "inspire more women, and cultural minorities, to consider careers in fire suppression and emergency medicine."
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