'Time has arrived' for Sierjie Lash, 1st woman elevated to district fire chief in Akron

A trailblazing Akron firefighter has attained another first for the department in her ascension through its ranks.

Sierjie Lash's promotion to district chief — effective Thursday — makes her the first woman to hold the position.

A formal ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. Aug. 8 at the Akron-Summit County Public Library, 60 S. High St.

Lash has been with department for 21 years. In 2022, she was promoted to captain , becoming the first woman to hold that rank in the department.

Her journey hasn't always been smooth. The fire academy, she said, was tough. And last year, she was found to be coaching candidates through the application process and was prescribed remedial supervisor training through human resources by then-Mayor Dan Horrigan.

Lash holds multiple degrees: an associate's and a bachelor's in fire science from American Public University and a master's in public health through NEOMED while attending University of Akron.

She also graduated from Leadership Akron's 40th class.

She's had a big cheering section along the way, she said, receiving support from colleagues locally and nationally, and from "my church family, my natural family."

"I'm appreciative of all of those who have been supportive of me because it is a very difficult job for a woman to come into a predominantly male field and continue to persevere and show up for work every single day," Lash said.

Fire chief Henderson gives Lash glowing review

Fire Chief Leon Henderson , the third Black man in department history to be fire chief, praised Lash, saying she is dedicated to excellence and is "exceptional" at collaborating with people inside and outside the department.

"When it comes to leadership, when it comes to her qualifications, knowledge, skill and ability, she is an exception to everything she does," Henderson said.

Having a woman of color in this role is important, Henderson said, because it helps the city and the community improve and grow.

"And we're letting everybody know Akron, Ohio, is open for business, regardless of your gender, regardless of your race, regardless of where you come from; we are creating opportunity that's fair, transparent," Henderson said.

He hopes Lash will serve as a role model to all women, regardless of race, he said.

"And not just women," said Henderson, "little kids, little boys and little girls."

How Lash came to the fire department

Lash came to firefighting 21 years ago from a part-time job with American Medical Response (AMR), an ambulance company that recently left Akron . Akron firefighters working for AMR encouraged Lash to apply at AFD, she said, but she was reluctant.

"I had never met a female firefighter," Lash said. "And I go, 'Yeah, I don't think so.' I said, 'That's not a profession for women.'"

Her colleagues kept encouraging her to apply, and she kept turning them down. She reconsidered after spotting recruitment posters around town. She was already working at an ambulance company and was applying for paramedic school, she reasoned.

"I saw the work schedule and I go, 'Hmm, maybe I'll give it a try,'" she said. The job, she said, has been "phenomenal," but she didn't know what she was getting into.

Lash said she thought she could just work as a paramedic. That's not the case in Akron.

Fire department employees are required to be both a paramedic and firefighter, a different arrangement than what's found in other cities. Lash said she had to go through the fire academy class — a harder task than she expected.

"I was the only female in my academy class," Lash said, "but I had great classmates and a great training staff that I was working with. [It] was just nothing I'd ever thought to do, or venture to do, until other firefighters recruited me."

Changing department culture a long time coming

Lash said that when she started, she didn't have plans to rise to the rank of district chief. She said she wasn't even aware it was a possibility. She joined the department, she said, "to be one of the better paramedics in our city."

Entering the district chief role is "scary," but, Lash said, "I'm ready."

"For Akron, as a lot of people may not know, in our history of not quite 200 years, Akron's never had a female in this role," Lash said. "But I'm ready. It's going to be new for not just me and my family, it's also going to be new for the entire department. So it won't be a trial basis. Because, you know, we're here, the time is now, the time has arrived."

Lash believes her promotion to district chief represents the department's culture shifting "for the better."

"But we're well past the time for [when] it should have happened," Lash said. "We're well past that. I should not have been the first, there should have been another lady before me to pave that path."

Lash advocating for women in the department

Since Lash joined the department, she has seen the number of women firefighter-paramedics increase from only six to 32 today. She said she's hopeful those women continue to move up the ladder.

"And I advocate strongly because, like I said, the time has arrived, we're here. Women are doing more and more in our workforces and influencing our community," Lash said.

For those women hoping to rise to her position, Lash encourages curiosity, self-advocacy and seizing any chance to learn through classes, leadership opportunities or open committee spots in the union.

Lash said such classes taught her to listen and learn from the people who have been where she's going.

She also recommends to women vying for promotion not to obsess about others in the running.

"I often tell people I'm in no role to compete with others," Lash said. "But every day I come in, I compete with myself to do better than I did yesterday."

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 'Time has arrived' for Sierjie Lash, 1st woman elevated to district fire chief in Akron