Thursday, April 20, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Sarah Mitre-Hall was a teen in California when she peered out a car window and saw a woman running in formation with a group of firefighters.
Sarah Mitre-Hall
It was a brief but monumental moment that shaped Mitre-Hall’s life trajectory.
“I thought that was the most amazing thing,” Mitre-Hall said of seeing the female firefighter. “It was so inspiring.”
On Friday, she worked her first shift as a full-time firefighter with the Boulder City Fire Department. She is the first woman employed full-time by the department since 1998.
It took Mitre-Hall about a decade to fulfill her dream of becoming a firefighter.
“As I was turning into an adult, I didn’t feel like I had enough life experience yet,” Mitre-Hall said. “You do see some major stuff. There is a lot of trauma.”
She worked jobs in the veterinary and medical fields for about 10 years. It was her sister who reminded her of her dream.
“She was in the business of selling high-end cosmetics and one day she decided, ‘I’m going to be a police officer,’” Mitre-Hall said. “She just got up and did it. She inspired me to chase my dream as well.”
Mitre-Hall started with Boulder City Fire Department in October 2020 as a fire cadet.
She completed the fire academy in February 2021 and became a reserve or part-time firefighter. Then in July, she became the city’s fire analyst.
“The fire analyst position was helpful because it made me more rounded in knowing why we do what we do and how it impacts the community,” Mitre-Hall said.
The position focuses on risk-reduction programs such as CPR classes, stop-bleed classes and child care classes, she said.
She worked in the position for a little over a year before being hired as a full-time firefighter.
“Full-time openings are very much sought-after roles and she rose to the top of the hiring process,” Fire Chief Will Gray said in a statement.
The only other female firefighter ever employed by the department started in 1997 but was quickly hired by another department.
“Unfortunately, we often lose recruits to jobs in neighboring communities, where they employ far more staff,” City Manager Taylour Tedder said in a statement. “The department has made a commitment to hiring the best of the best. After working with Sarah on several occasions, I can say Boulder City is getting one of the best.”
Mitre-Hall said firefighting jobs have always gone to the most qualified applicants, regardless of gender. “It is challenging, but you can train and get strong and you can do it,” she said.
“I think it is important to mirror the community with the diversity in a department,” she said. “There are times when someone might respond better to a female presence.”
Mitre-Hall cited an example of an injured woman being uncertain about going to the hospital.
“I told her that if she was my mother, I would want her to go to the hospital,” Mitre-Hall said. “She had a daughter and related to that.”
Mitre-Hall said it was “cool” to work her first full-time shift Friday and that she was looking forward to getting through her rookie year.
“What I like most about this career is rolling out on the rig toward someone in need, knowing that I’m going to make a positive impact in someone’s life,” Mitre-Hall said. “That sense of purpose and responsibility align with what I feel is my calling.”
[email protected] / 702-990-8923 / @t_moss001
