Ellen Murray
Fire Chief, Naugatuck, CT
Being a firefighter was never a dream of mine. A friend in the Stratford Fire Department suggested I apply for an opening for a firefighter job. I was on my lunch break and he said, “Let’s go get you an application right now.” I went.
“The testing process is difficult, but I was a physical education major and I was a competitive swimmer, so that’s what helped me get through the physical aspect of the testing. Then I just loved it. I didn’t really see myself sitting behind a desk when I was younger. Every day is different. When I got the job offer, I told my girlfriends, and they were telling me, “I dare you! Do it! Do it!” All my friends were pushing me.
After more than 30 years, I still can say being a firefighter is the best job in the world.
“Putting the spotlight on women actually makes it harder for them.”
Being the Only Woman in a Traditionally Man’s Job
My mother taught me to be independent and strong and to stick up for myself. From her I learned that you do what you have to do.
With any new firefighter, the other men try to push your buttons and to get at you. It’s not really hazing, but there are a lot of practical jokes played on newbies. You have to have a thick skin and pull your weight and know your weaknesses so you can work on those because you don’t want to give them any ammunition.
However, I did feel like I always had to prove myself more than the guys did. When I came on the job, I felt like I was always under a microscope. I’ve probably been under a microscope my whole career. When I got promoted, I was the first female lieutenant, the first assistant chief, the first chief. Everybody would watch me to see how the first woman in the job would perform.
No matter what women want to say, we don’t have the same physical strength as men. I worked out constantly to keep up my strength, and still I had to figure out ways for me to handle some of our tools. For example, the men could start a chainsaw with one hand, but I had to put it on the ground and pull it to start with two hands. But I got it started!
Unwanted Spotlight
It wasn’t until after I started the job that I realized I was the first woman career firefighter in Connecticut, although there was one other woman who came on about the same time as I did. The press wanted to interview me. I would think, “I’m no more special than the six guys next to me who also just went through fire school.” Putting the spotlight on women like that actually makes it harder for them. The press thinks they are helping by raising awareness, but they’re not because the guys the women work with wonder why is she getting all the attention. It causes some animosity towards the woman for a situation that she didn’t create.
Because of that, I didn’t do a lot of the interviews; I kept my head down, and I worked to be as good as I could be at all the different skills we had to be good at.
Staying on Top of my Game
I took every class that I could. I’d take leadership classes, tactical classes, a lot of them were hands on where you learn how to use the jaws-of-life to open a car door or how to position a ladder the right way. I wanted to be as educated as I could so I’d know the newest techniques.
As a firefighter, you learn to trust your team with your life, and they trust you with theirs. That’s why departments train all the time.
When you go into a fire, it’s not like it’s shown on television. It’s pitch black. You can’t see anything until you come up on the fire and you might see a glow in the distance. It’s like doing it with your eyes closed. You don’t know what’s going to happen at a fire, but when you have a good foundation of training and a good group of firefighters, and you all know what you’re doing and you work together, you have a better chance for a positive outcome.
Defining Success
I worked really hard to achieve the promotions I had in the fire department. I don’t give up. I do the best I can with whatever I have to complete a task. I’m very competitive. Not wanting to fail is a big driver for me. I would say to reach the top position of Fire Chief means you can call me a success.
But you don’t have to go up through the ranks to be a success. I know a lot of firefighters who didn’t want to move up the ladder, but they were the best they could be at the truck that they chose to drive, and they were very successful. I don’t think you should let other people define success for you or tell you if you’re successful or not.
Ellen Murray
Fire Chief, Naugatuck, CT
Being a firefighter was never a dream of mine. A friend in the Stratford Fire Department suggested I apply for an opening for a firefighter job. I was on my lunch break and he said, “Let’s go get you an application right now.” I went.
“The testing process is difficult, but I was a physical education major and I was a competitive swimmer, so that’s what helped me get through the physical aspect of the testing. Then I just loved it. I didn’t really see myself sitting behind a desk when I was younger. Every day is different. When I got the job offer, I told my girlfriends, and they were telling me, “I dare you! Do it! Do it!” All my friends were pushing me.
After more than 30 years, I still can say being a firefighter is the best job in the world.
“Putting the spotlight on women actually makes it harder for them.”
Being the Only Woman in a Traditionally Man’s Job
My mother taught me to be independent and strong and to stick up for myself. From her I learned that you do what you have to do.
With any new firefighter, the other men try to push your buttons and to get at you. It’s not really hazing, but there are a lot of practical jokes played on newbies. You have to have a thick skin and pull your weight and know your weaknesses so you can work on those because you don’t want to give them any ammunition.
However, I did feel like I always had to prove myself more than the guys did. When I came on the job, I felt like I was always under a microscope. I’ve probably been under a microscope my whole career. When I got promoted, I was the first female lieutenant, the first assistant chief, the first chief. Everybody would watch me to see how the first woman in the job would perform.
No matter what women want to say, we don’t have the same physical strength as men. I worked out constantly to keep up my strength, and still I had to figure out ways for me to handle some of our tools. For example, the men could start a chainsaw with one hand, but I had to put it on the ground and pull it to start with two hands. But I got it started!
Unwanted Spotlight
It wasn’t until after I started the job that I realized I was the first woman career firefighter in Connecticut, although there was one other woman who came on about the same time as I did. The press wanted to interview me. I would think, “I’m no more special than the six guys next to me who also just went through fire school.” Putting the spotlight on women like that actually makes it harder for them. The press thinks they are helping by raising awareness, but they’re not because the guys the women work with wonder why is she getting all the attention. It causes some animosity towards the woman for a situation that she didn’t create.
Because of that, I didn’t do a lot of the interviews; I kept my head down, and I worked to be as good as I could be at all the different skills we had to be good at.
Staying on Top of my Game
I took every class that I could. I’d take leadership classes, tactical classes, a lot of them were hands on where you learn how to use the jaws-of-life to open a car door or how to position a ladder the right way. I wanted to be as educated as I could so I’d know the newest techniques.
As a firefighter, you learn to trust your team with your life, and they trust you with theirs. That’s why departments train all the time.
When you go into a fire, it’s not like it’s shown on television. It’s pitch black. You can’t see anything until you come up on the fire and you might see a glow in the distance. It’s like doing it with your eyes closed. You don’t know what’s going to happen at a fire, but when you have a good foundation of training and a good group of firefighters, and you all know what you’re doing and you work together, you have a better chance for a positive outcome.
Defining Success
I worked really hard to achieve the promotions I had in the fire department. I don’t give up. I do the best I can with whatever I have to complete a task. I’m very competitive. Not wanting to fail is a big driver for me. I would say to reach the top position of Fire Chief means you can call me a success.
But you don’t have to go up through the ranks to be a success. I know a lot of firefighters who didn’t want to move up the ladder, but they were the best they could be at the truck that they chose to drive, and they were very successful. I don’t think you should let other people define success for you or tell you if you’re successful or not.
Ellen has made history and broken boundaries in her career as a firefighter in Connecticut. At the age of 23, she became the first woman career firefighter in the state when she accepted the job offer on a dare. Through the years she rose through the ranks, making history as the first woman in the job with each promotion. She was Naugatuck Fire Department’s Acting Chief in 2016 when she was offered and accepted the full time job of Fire Chief, reaching the pinnacle of her career at age 57.
She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education and has additional credits toward her Master’s Degree in Emergency Management.
Chief Murray is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Connecticut Career Fire Chiefs, The Waterbury Area Fire Chiefs and the Women Fire Chiefs Council. She sits of the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Firefighters Charitable Foundation. This past year she was an honoree at the 2017 Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
She resides in Shelton CT with her husband Tom, a retired firefighter, and together they have 4 children.
Ellen has made history and broken boundaries in her career as a firefighter in Connecticut. At the age of 23, she became the first woman career firefighter in the state when she accepted the job offer on a dare. Through the years she rose through the ranks, making history as the first woman in the job with each promotion. She was Naugatuck Fire Department’s Acting Chief in 2016 when she was offered and accepted the full time job of Fire Chief, reaching the pinnacle of her career at age 57.
She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education and has additional credits toward her Master’s Degree in Emergency Management.
Chief Murray is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Connecticut Career Fire Chiefs, The Waterbury Area Fire Chiefs and the Women Fire Chiefs Council. She sits of the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Firefighters Charitable Foundation. This past year she was an honoree at the 2017 Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
She resides in Shelton CT with her husband Tom, a retired firefighter, and together they have 4 children.