When Riley Coleman showed up Tuesday for her first shift as the De Soto Fire Department’s first full-time female firefighter, five other female first responders were there to cheer her on.
“I heard they hired Riley,” said Lisa Gore, the De Soto Rural Fire Protection District’s first female career firefighter. “So, I’m like I’m going to see if I can get the girls together and go congratulate her and just wish her well on her journey in being a firefighter.”
Coleman, 19, of De Soto is the third generation of her family to serve as a De Soto firefighter.
From left are Lisa Gore, Shannon Peters, Riley Coleman, Anna Wideman, Angie Stephens and Judy Tufts.
After Coleman arrived for her first shift this week, she and the other five female first responders sat down and shared stories from their careers and talked about some of the other first female firefighters in Jefferson County, from the early 1980s to now.
Shannon Peters of the Festus Fire Department was one of the women who stopped by the De Soto Fire Department to congratulate Coleman. Peters, who was one of Coleman’s teachers, was the first female firefighter when she worked full-time at the Goldman Fire Protection District, the first part-time female firefighter when she worked at the High Ridge Fire Protection District and the first full-time female firefighter at Festus. She also was the first female instructor for the Jefferson County Emergency Services Training Academy.
One of Coleman’s other supporters, Angie Stephens, was the first full-time female firefighter with the Cedar Hill Fire Protection District. Judy Tufts, technician specialist, was the first female technician on the Jefferson County Hazmat Team. Another member of the welcome team was Anna Wideman, who has been a volunteer/part-time firefighter for De Soto Rural Fire since 2010.
“When I hired Riley, I had no idea she’d be the first female firefighter for De Soto city,” said Tony Ochoa, who has been chief of the De Soto Fire Department since Sept. 5.
“He did not believe me when I said it,” said Coleman. “I’m like, ‘I’m the first one.’”
Her father, James Coleman, has been a firefighter for 36 years and is a captain with De Soto Fire. Her grandfather was a volunteer firefighter got the department.
Coleman also has an uncle and a cousin who are firefighters.
“When I was 16, I started the junior (firefighter) program here (at De Soto Fire),” she said. “And then I took my Firefighter I and II (courses) when I was 17 in high school.”
After that, she became a part-time firefighter at De Soto Fire and a volunteer/part-time firefighter at De Soto Rural to get more experience.
Coleman only got five hours of sleep before her first 48-hour shift as a full-timer. The night before, De Soto firefighters assisted De Soto Rural Fire with a fire and then Festus Fire with another one.
James Coleman said he is proud of his daughter and confident in her abilities, adding that she’s a hard worker.
“I have three girls. At least one of them came into the family business, so yeah, I’m pretty proud of her,” James Coleman said. “She’s a chip off the old block.”