Excerpts from the Windy City Times:
Pat Ciara, a long-time paramedic with the Chicago Fire Department (CFD), is the highest-ranking out lesbian in the department's history. She recalls growing up as a tomboy and always feeling different, even as a child. "I knew there was something different about me since I was seven," she said. Her mother, concerned about how others would view their family, often dressed her in skirts and encouraged her to play with dolls. But Pat never really fit into that role. "I didn’t play with dolls like the other girls did. I used to rip their hair out and carry them by their legs," she joked.
After high school, Pat worked for a few years before enrolling at Mayfair College (now Truman College) in 1975, where she earned an associate’s degree. She later worked for a private ambulance company and pursued further training, attending EMT school in 1975 and paramedic school in 1976 at Loyola University Medical Center. "I applied to the CFD right after I finished my paramedic training, not knowing if I’d get in or not, but I had to try because this was what I truly wanted to do," she explained.
Before joining the CFD, Pat ran her own ambulance business with a male partner, Gerry, for 18 months starting in 1978. When she received an acceptance letter from the CFD in 1980, she had to end the partnership. "That was the best decision I ever made," she said.
Pat started her career with the CFD as a fire-medic and was quickly promoted to paramedic-in-charge. In 1982, she became a field chief and remained in that role for 12 years. In 1994, she was promoted to chief of EMS training, overseeing all paramedics who joined the department. In 2000, she became deputy chief paramedic, managing over 500 paramedics across the northern part of the city until 9/11, when she took on a new logistics role.
When she first joined the CFD, she had to bring all her own equipment—blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, and intubation tools. "They had very little supplies on the ambulances back then," she recalled. Over time, she continued her education, earning a Bachelor of Science in business management from National-Louis University in 2001 and a Master of Science in industrial relations from Loyola University in 2003. These degrees helped her reach the top of her career, including her final position as district chief and director of personnel in 2004.
"Without my master’s degree, I wouldn’t have gotten that job," she said. In that role, she managed retirement packages, hiring documents, and medical evaluations for injured or ill firefighters. In 2005, she suffered a mild heart attack and underwent a procedure, but chose to return to work rather than take disability. "I felt I still had more to give," she said. Though she now takes disability payments, she’s preparing for retirement at 68 and feels proud of her contributions.
She has also mentored many people, some of whom are now in leadership roles. "They still call me for advice, and that makes me feel good," she said. Two of the people who seek her guidance are lesbians, and she noted that the CFD still has very few openly LGBTQ+ members due to lingering homophobia.
Ciara was a member of LGPA/GOAL Chicago, an LGBT police and fire association. The group participated in the Pride Parade, and she remembers the positive reception they received. Despite being openly lesbian, she never came out to her family or co-workers. "I didn’t have to because I’m a hundred footer—I look very butch," she said with a laugh.
Her brother, Michael, followed in her footsteps and joined the CFD seven years after her. While working, she spoke about her wife naturally, just like anyone else would. Her colleagues included both women and men in social events. In 2003, she and her wife had a civil union in Vermont and later married in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in 2010, with Michael as her best man. "Since we were already married, I just needed to send my license to the pension board to update my status," she said.
Thanks Dan
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