Fire Department's 1st Female 2nd Lieutenant 'Ecstatic' At Post

EASTPORT, NY — Virginia Massey may be just 20 years old, but as the first female to be elected as an officer in the Eastport Fire Department, she's making history — and blazing trails.

Massey, who assumed her new post as a 2nd lieutenant at the Mercury Hose Company this month, said she's "ecstatic" about her new responsibilities, and hopes to be an inspiration to others.

And already, she's got little girls looking up to her: Recently, Massey said, a kindergarten class visited the firehouse for fire prevention week. "A little girl came up to me, when I was in my gear, and said, 'Girl power is so awesome.' It was the cutest thing in the world," she said.

Born in July 1997, the call to serve with the fire department is a blood tie that runs deep. Massey, who lives with her parents on her family's duck farm in Eastport, said her great-grandfather Chester Massey Sr. joined the Eastport Fire Department, followed by her grandfather Chester Massey and her father Kurt Massey, both of whom are still members.

From her first moments, firefighting was a part of her life: Her father was chief when she was ready to come home from the hospital. On the ride home, her father got a call for a hazmat situation. "So my first call was when I was 3 days old," Massey said.

Growing up, surrounded by firetrucks at the firehouse, Massey always knew what path she hoped to forge.

Despite the risks, Massey said she grew up watching her dad race out to calls. "It was definitely a little bit scary. But I always knew that my dad was going to come home. He had a lot of people to keep him safe."

Still, Massey said, whenever anyone in their family leaves the house, they echo the same words they'd say when they watched her dad run out the door to a fire: "We all say, 'Be careful. I love you,'" she said.

Massey, who attended the Eastport-South Manor Central School District, joined the Eastport Fire Department Juniors when she was 12 years old. "I absolutely loved it," she said, adding that leaders Terry Blackford and Chris Murray, who are still involved with the program, inspired.

As members of the Juniors program, young people engage in "smaller scale training," much like what firefighters undertake. "It felt really cool, doing things like what my dad was doing," Massey said.

Young women were encouraged to join, Massey said. And, even when some task may seem physically daunting, she said she's surrounded by a legion of fellow firefighters willing to help and encouraging her to keep striving. "No one has ever told me, 'No, you can't do that,'" she said.

One of the best parts of the junior company was sharing the experience with other young people, friends who've become close as family, Massey said. Helping one another and the community is a thread that's shared by every member of the Eastport Fire Department, she said. "That's 100% what we're about, as a firehouse," she said.

In 2012,Massey was named Junior Firefighter of the Year. "It was awesome, such a cool feeling," she said.

When she moved up from Juniors to a volunteer firefighter, Massey had to undertake a year long probationary period, taking classes and training. "After a year, and after you've accomplished all you need to, you are given your shield, for your helmet, and considered a full fledged volunteer firefighter," Massey said. "I was very proud."

While, thankfully, there have been no major fires in the area for quite some time, Massey said the department is on call for automatic mutual aid to neighboring departments. In 2017, she went out on more than 100 calls, she said.

And that's in addition to her full time job at a hair salon.

Such dedication to giving back is something many on the East End have feared might be lacking in the younger generation, many of whom have had to leave the area due to a dearth of affordable housing and career opportunities.

But Massey is a shining ray of hope, proof positive that she, a dedicated member of the younger generation, is eager and thrilled to serve the community where she grew up. She grateful to be surrounded by family and giving back in a tangible way every day.

"Any call I go on, no matter how minor, seeing that we can help somebody in any kind of way, makes me see that I want to do what I'm doing," she said.

She added: "I want the men and women in Eastport to see that I'm someone they can go to and trust to help them. It's an absolutely amazing feeling, being able to help your community."

And, she said, in her hometown, she's surrounded by people "backing me up, caring for me, and loving me."

As a member of the fire department, Massey added: "You gain a ridiculous amount of brothers and sisters. Obviously, my father plays a very big role in my life, but I also have 10 other father figures. We're a huge family."

Joining the fire department means the whole family joins, Massey added. And, of her success at such a young age, she added, "I could not have done it without the people in the fire department themselves. They truly encouraged me and challenged me in a lot of good ways to be able to step up and do this."

Looking ahead, Massey has her sights set on another history making dream: "I hope I can be the first female chief of the Eastport Fire Department."

Patch photo courtesy Virginia Massey.