Sworn Female Firefighter Becomes First To Hold Rank of Chief Officer in Bloomington Fire Department

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 30, 2015

For more information, please contact:

Todd Easton, Fire Chief, City of Bloomington Fire Department, 812.332.9763, eastont@bloomington.in.gov

Alexa Lopez, Communications Director, City of Bloomington Office of the Mayor, 812.349.3406, lopeza@bloomington.in.gov

Sworn Female Firefighter Becomes First To Hold Rank of Chief Officer in Bloomington Fire Department

Bloomington, Ind. - Last week, the Bloomington Fire Department (BFD) and the Board of Public Safety promoted Bloomington firefighter Tania Daffron as the new Battalion Chief of Training. Daffron is the first female firefighter to hold the rank of Chief Officer in the Department's 115-year existence. Chief Daffron is one of four women in the Bloomington Fire Department, including personnel.

Chief Daffron has 13.5 years of service with the BFD. Most recently, she was captain on the aerial truck for three years, sergeant from 2005 to 2012 and an engineer and firefighter from 2002 until 2005. In 2010, she was the Public Information Officer for the gold shift.

"I would like to thank the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the Board of Public Safety for considering my recommendation to appoint Tania Daffron to Battalion Chief of Training and making it a reality," said Chief Easton. "Chief Daffron's knowledge, experience and certifications obtained during her career will provide a positive and progressive platform within our organization through her leadership in the Training Division."

Chief Daffron's duties will include, but are not limited to, ensuring that firefighters are updated on department operations, providing any necessary additional training, planning another trench rescue class in September for those who did not complete the April training, obtaining resources for the department, event planning, coordinating documentation for firefighters and attending medical control board meetings with township representatives.

"I am excited to not only be the first female in this position, but also to make this the next step in my career. I am humbled and proud," said Chief Daffron. "I enjoy learning. If you are not learning, you are stagnating. You learn something every day whether you want to or not, and this position will allow me to learn more about something I love doing."

Chief Daffron went from training officers for one shift, which includes 33 people, to training an entire department. On her success in the training department, Daffron said,"It is important to make sure the I's are dotted and the T's are crossed."

Among her other achievements, Chief Daffron is certified in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic (EMT-P), PreHospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) and Emergency Pediatric Care (EPC). One of her goals for the department is ensuring additional fire training and fire certifications are made available to all. In the last year, trainings in which the BFD participated include rope rescue and ice, water and trench rescue training. These trainings will continue next year, with the addition of vehicle machinery rescue to complete all tactical rescue trainings.

Chief Daffron is a graduate of the 2010 class of Leadership Bloomington Monroe County, serves on the City of Bloomington Be Active committee as the BFD representative, competed in the firefighter combat challenge in 2006 and participated in the United Front Drill II in 2013 with the Indiana National Guard, Indiana University Police Department and others.

For more information about Chief Daffron's promotion, contact the Bloomington Fire Department at 812.332.9763.

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