Historic Firefighter 'Always Knew' She Could Tackle Man's World

LONG BEACH, NY — Catherine Lewis is the first woman professional firefighter in Long Beach. There have been females on the volunteer side of the department.

She felt the personal challenge of taking on a male-dominated industry, "but I always knew it was something that I could do."

Lewis grew up on Staten Island and the FDNY was her dream. However, she found out that Long Beach was hiring after tests.

"Things kind of fell into place," Lewis told Patch. "Once I got the opportunity to get hired here, it was kind of a no-brainer."

After college, Lewis moved to Queens for the last decade. She moved to Long Beach in November after getting hired in March. The fire academy followed for an extensive, four-and-a-half month training in Westchester. She officially started on the job in July 2021.

While firefighting wasn't necessarily a birthright, she had an uncle and his cousin in the FDNY. Lewis also knew several firefighters through her friends.

"Growing up in Staten Island--it's a very blue-collar area. A lot of cops. A lot of firefighters"
she said.

Even though she was only in the fourth grade, 9/11 was a profound moment in her life.

"Everyone knew multiple people who were affected by that event," Lewis said. "That always stuck with me."

Before finding her future, Lewis played Division I basketball in an upstate New York college. She also taught for a couple of years after school, while earning her Master's degree in education.

"But I always had FDNY in the back of my mind," she said.

Regardless of the location, for Lewis, being a firefighter is a respectable job. Serving the community and helping others, "there's nothing better you can do to earn a living," she said.

Lewis can "count on one hand" how many female firefighters she knows. By securing the position in Long Beach, she shows other women and children that anything is possible.

The historic hire led to an appearance on the Drew Barrymore Show, where Barrymore surprised Lewis with plans to renovate the fire department.

"It was really awesome because the firehouse is definitely in need of a facelift," she said.

Lewis stays physically fit and is athletic, becoming more involved in strength training and conditioning after college.

Her class graduated 34, and of course, she was the only woman in the group.

"Day one you get some looks," Lewis said. "Almost immediately I was able to earn their respect by showing them that I was capable physically. Nobody cared that I was a female because they knew that I had their back."