The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Waterloo names first female acting fire captain aking the first emerâ€" I geney call of the day last Friday morning was music to firefighter Karen Davey‘s ears. And finding out the call was a false alarm made the experience that much betâ€" ter. That call marked the first Davey took as an acting captain for the Waterloo fire department â€" the first female acting captain in the department‘s history. "I was nervous until I got that first call under my belt," Davey said halfway through her milestone shift at Waterâ€" loo‘s fire station #3 on Northfield Drive. "I wanted to make sure to handle the radio professionally, and not forget anything. "So far we‘ve had two false alarms, which isn‘t too bad at all." Davey said she had some time to prepare for the role change. _ _ "I qualified to be an actâ€" ing captain last fall, and I actually found out I‘d be doing it during my last shift," she said. "Some fireâ€" fighters only find out the day of their shift that they‘re needed as an acting captain, so at least I had some time to prepare." As one of only two female firefighters serving with the local department, the news marked a defining moment in Davey‘s near eightâ€"vear career. longtime local A;)un*aucral will soon ssume the role of the City of Waterloo‘s interâ€" im chief administrative offiâ€" cer (CAO). Looking For a New or Preâ€"owned BMW City of Waterloo fills interim CAO position Former City of Kitchener senior administrator Robert Pritchard will assume the role on Feb. 1 on a sixâ€" month contract basis. The Waterloo resident retired from his 38â€"year career in Kitchener last March. www.bkmotorsqroup.com By Anogea Bamey Chronicle Stuff By Anorea Bamey Chronicle Staff Local firefighter Karen Davey served her first shift as an acting captain last Friday. Davey is the Waterloo fire department‘s first female acting captain. And not a day goes by that Davey isn‘t grateful for the opportunity to live out her dream. "I‘ve wanted to be a fireâ€" fighter since I played hockey with a female firefighter from Kitchener while 1 was studying kinesiology at the University of Waterloo," she recalled. "All aspects of the job really interested me. The physical aspect combined with a lot of mental training â€" for me it sounded like the cat‘s meow." Over the course of his career, Pritchard has served as city clerk, general manâ€" ager and interim CAO. "I initiated discussions with Mr. Pritchard about a month ago," said Waterloo Mayor Herb Epp. "I‘ve known him since 1968, and I have a lot of respect for his experience and his abilities. I truly believe he is the right perâ€" son at this time." Epp said Pritchard‘s experience will be invaluâ€" able in helping the city make some crucial deciâ€" Davey breezed through the physical component of her training program, hayvâ€" ing an active background in soccer, _ hockey _ and weightlifting. But the ladder to the top hasn‘t always been an easy climb. She underestimated the level of competition she would eventually face for a local position. "I spent two years applyâ€" ing to Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, along with hundreds of other good sions over the next few months regarding the budget process and some legal matters. "This is just one of a number _ of major deciâ€" sions to be made." Epp said. "We can‘t Wate wait for a new CAO. We need someone in place who has experience dealing with some of these issues." PAGE } "I truly believe he is the right person at this time." â€"Herb Epp Waterloo mayor people," she said. "Getting a job is like winning the lotâ€" tery, since there are so many good people who don‘t get an opportunity." Knowing this makes the experience that much more rewarding, Davey said. _ _ "No two days are ever the same," Davey said. "You never know what to expect, and there‘s so much you need to know." But there‘s also that eleâ€" ment of danger in the back of every firefighter‘s â€" and mother‘s â€" mind. The mayor also said Pritchard will also have a role in the hiring of a perâ€" r;nwu:;mr "When â€" Kitchener was looking for a new CAO, they thought it would take four months," Epp said. "It ended up taking ANDREA BaiLey PMOTO CAU Epp said he can‘t guess how long the hiring process will ‘take. "My mother was afraid when I told her what I wantâ€" ed to do," Davey said. "But I‘ve reassured her and she feels better about it now." Davey added, the Water loo _ depariâ€" ment‘s safety practices l%ive "Itsu all firefighfers ' peace of mind. IUO‘T k’ "I‘ve never â€" S2T been afraid to go into a situaâ€" tion where 1 felt the equipâ€" ment or the judgment wasâ€" n‘t adequate," she said. "The Waterloo departâ€" ment has never lost anyâ€" body in the line of duty." That‘s not to say Davey hasn‘t experienced tragedy on the job. "Two unsuccessful calls really touched me to the core," she said. "Once we were called to the scene of a drowned child. That really haunted me. And another time we were called to a really bad car accident where a teen didn‘t make it. That was just as awful." But the family environâ€" ment that exists among the department has helped Davey get through some of the tougher times. "It‘s a fun place to work, despite the serious scary stuff we face," she said. "Firefighters are known to have black humour, where we take something bad and turn it around. It‘s a coping mechanism â€" a way of findâ€" ing a bright side to a lot of them eight months. So who knows for sure." Under the terms of the agreement,. Pritchard will be paid based on the curâ€" rent salary range for the CAO position. The post has been vacant since former CAO Tom Stockie resigned last May for his part in the RIM Park financing scandal. Stockie collected a sevâ€" erance package of $739,000 for his 28 years of service with the city. Since then, Assistant CAO/Director of Human T > ul e & t Waterloo M ce t ds & Waterioo :::; se £ www.okmatorsqroup.com AesSicl & @ 0 3 ire captain : £ was afraid _ bad things." 2 hat I wantâ€" Davey said firefighting is 2 : said. "But _ also often thought of as a Z er and she _ maleâ€"dominated profession. 2 it now." She‘d like to see more & the Waterâ€" _ females take an interest in 2 MRSLHDETMECCC e "It‘s a fun place to work, despite the serious, scary stuff we face." â€" Karen Davey acting fire captain She‘d like to see more & females take an interest in 2 firefighting E as a career. n place to â€" And if her £ promotion espite the | Sevves as scary Stuiff | inspiration face » for other & women to n Davey take the re captain plunge, all the better. recognition I get for this is good if it gets more women in the department," she "There are still a lot of stereotypes attached. Someâ€" one will say ‘Look at the fireâ€" man‘, only to discover I‘m not a man. The stigma that the job is for men only still exists. "Yet, there are a lot of benefits to having women in the profession. There‘s no denying there are a lot of physical aspects to the job, but a lot of it is about using your mind and not just your body. Davey said she still still has a list of career goals she hopes to achieve. â€" "And it‘s nice to have women on hand for situaâ€" tions that may be embarâ€" rassing for a man to handle." "I want to be a platoon chief before my career is over," she said. "It‘s a 30â€"year career, so I still have a lot of time to go." Resources Kathy Durst has served as acting CAO. She will return to her positions upon Pritchard‘s arrval. "This decision has nothâ€" ing to do with Kathy Durst," Epp said, adding council appreciates her efforts. _ "We‘ve reached a certain juncture, and we need to bring in certain people. "Mr. Pritchard has only been out of the office for eight months. He knows Waterloo and the greater community, and I‘m confiâ€" dent he‘ll complement the strengths we already have."