TOLEDO, Ohio — Allison Armstrong is doing her dream job and climbed to the top of a male-dominated industry along the way, as she became the newest chief of the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department — the first woman to achieve the position.
What You Need To Know
- Allison Armstrong joined the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department in 2000
- Armstrong was named fire chief in February 2022
- Armstrong oversees 18 fire stations, more than 520 uniformed officers and about 30 civilians as chief
The ladder truck at Station 17 in Toledo is an apparatus Armstrong knows well.
“It’s a cold and sometimes wet job,” she said. “Windy job, standing up here.”
The ladder is able to climb more than 100 feet into the sky, and Armstrong rose to the top to check out the equipment at her former station as Toledo’s newest and first female leader.
“It definitely takes some getting used to, and I’m not quite used to that,” she said about being called chief. “And I feel like I’m still the junior person, even though I have 21 years.”
She steered her career through the ranks of the department.
“I’m not that far removed from doing the job that they’re doing every day,” she said.
She’s living her dream job and following in family footsteps of service.
“My dad was a police officer, but for whatever reason, I always wanted to be a firefighter,” Armstrong said.
She never thought she’d someday be the chief, and said she’s humbled by the opportunity to serve.
“I think it’s great to show young women and girls that they can do whatever they want to do,” she said. “That there’s no limit to what they can achieve.”
In her new role, she spends a good amount of her time behind the wheel and behind the desk, where a stack of paperwork waits for her signature.
“I might get a stamp to make this easier,” she said.
Photos of her family sit proudly on display on her desk. She met her husband, Mike, at work. He recently retired after 33 years with the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department.
“It was tough because we worked opposite 24-hour shifts for eight years after Nicholas was born, so that one of us could always be home with him,” she said.
Nicholas, her son, is now 13 years old and she said he’s a little surprised at his mom’s new job.
“Probably embarrassed at times, but mostly excited,” she said.
She’s settling into her office and planning where to hang her degrees and mementos, including a particularly poignant piece honoring two firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2014.
“It really hits home how dangerous this job is, and the fact that we’re not immortal,” Armstrong said. “We’re not immune to these things.”
When a call went out over the radio, Armstrong rushed to assist at the scene of a nearby structure fire.
“Hopefully we can get water on it quickly,” she said. “Get it knocked down, and then search the apartment and make sure that nobody’s in there that needs medical attention. And then we check to make sure the fire doesn’t extend.”
Crews battled the blaze while Armstrong observed. The particular incident was under control and extinguished quickly.
She said she sees her position as one to provide support for the front lines.
“To make their lives easier,” she said. “To give them the tools and resources and equipment that they need to be successful. I mean, that’s what I feel my job is and that’s how I approach things.”
She also hopes to better protect the community in the process.
