The Roanoker - March/April 2018 - 35

DANA
LACY
MASTER PARAMEDIC & FIREFIGHTER

As the second woman ever hired to
Roanoke County EMS, Dana Lacy has a
long history of coming to the rescue.

Growing up, Master Paramedic/Firefighter for Roanoke County, Dana
Lacy, was attracted to shows like Rescue 911. In the mid-'90s, she
followed her interest and became a volunteer Firefighter/EMT. By
1998, she had earned her Paramedic certification.
"The guys I started with in the '90s
were very welcoming," Lacy says of
her early days in the field.
According to the National Fire
Protection Association, there are
about 1.1 million firefighters in
the U.S. and only seven percent of
them are women. Working in the
field means responding to a variety
of emergencies from fires on the
interstate, car wrecks, house fires
and brush fires, to mental health
issues and domestic situations, to
falls, medical calls, heart attacks and
accidents.
"No two calls are the same. You
have to immediately evaluate the
situation and determine how to
best treat the patient which may
mean carrying a patient downstairs
or having to shovel into a snowy
driveway. Every day you're making life
or death decisions, and sometimes it's
just holding someone's hand during
their worst time," says Lacy.
Due to the dangerous and grueling
nature of the work, many women don't
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pursue the profession. For Lacy, none
of that served as a barrier. "You have
to work 100 percent harder to get half
of the respect," she admits. But, as a
woman, "I bring certain strengths to
the table that the team wouldn't have
otherwise. For example, I try to think
around the heaviest and hardest way
to do something. Some of that is
being a woman and some of it comes
from experience."
Aside from technical skills and
know-how, Lacy says, "Your best
attributes in this job are empathy
and compassion. Some may see them
as weaknesses, but they're really
strengths. You will care too much and
that drives you to be better at what
you do."
To parents raising girls, Lacy
advises raising them with the
confidence of knowing that they can
do whatever they want to do and to
not let anyone hold them back.
After over 20 years in the field,
Lacy has ascended to the role of
Master Paramedic/Firefighter. She not

only runs calls, but also participates in
training new recruits and is trained in
technical large animal rescues. While
acknowledging that male bias exists in
the field, she also affirms how a strong
spirit of hard work and teamwork
counteracts it.
"We're a team, we all depend on
each other and the strengths we all
bring to the team," Lacy says. Her
biggest complaint often comes from
outside of the firehouse. "Still in 2018,
some people don't understand that
women can do just about anything
and are surprised to see us. Even
more surprised is when I see mothers
point me out to their children and
hesitate, not knowing what to call me.
They stumble over their own words,
'fireman?'"
But known for her humor, she
takes it all in stride when she's
hopping in the firetruck and hears
someone say, "Are you driving that
big old truck?"
She confidently replies, "Sure, why
not?"
MARCH/APRIL 2018

35
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The Roanoker - March/April 2018

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