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Breaking the glass ceiling: Meet the first female fire chief in Cuyahoga County

Gina DeVito-Staub is now the first female fire chief in Woodmere and in all of Cuyahoga County.

WOODMERE, Ohio — Since she was a little girl, Gina DeVito-Staub dreamed of helping her community. That dream became reality when she was sworn in as Woodmere’s fire chief.

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“People kind of laughed [at me]…like what are you doing? [I would say] I'm studying to be chief…[and they would say] but you're just a firefighter. [But I knew I’d get there and I’d say] when I grow up I want to be chief,” said Chief DeVito-Staub.

She is now the first female fire chief in Woodmere and in all of Cuyahoga County. Chief DeVito-Staub began her career as a volunteer firefighter with the Hiram Fire Department, and also in Warren as a paramedic. She moved on to work at the Twinsburg Fire Department, working her way up to the rank of captain.

Chief DeVito-Staub says she does this job because she loves to help her community.

“For people, it's the worst day of their life and you get there…you try to calm them down and make them feel better and on some of the calls especially in medicine… they could be unresponsive and you can get them up and talking.”

She says she has worked hard to get where she is today. Currently, fewer than five percent of firefighters are women.

“It’s a man's world, even uniforms now, I was complaining that my class A pants don't fit.”

However, Woodmere Police Chief Sheila Mason told her counterpart, Chief Gina, that she'll help get it right.

“Man, she broke the ceiling first. I'm just following in her footsteps,” said Chief DeVito-Staub.

Together, DeVito-Staub and Mason make up the first female chief duo in the Cuyahoga County.

“We are going to become a team, to have a female, I'm never going to take away from our guys but to have another female to bounce things off it's going to be a great experience for both of us,” said Chief Mason.

Chief Mason took her title as Woodmere's police chief ten years ago.

“Females can take charge and do the job we need your assistance…as she said, it's still a boys club but women are climbing up that ladder,” said Chief Mason. “It's exciting to see women take the helm and run with it. She always wanted to be a firefighter when she was small and look at her now…she's the chief. I always wanted to be a police officer when I was small and look at me I am the chief. So, anything is possible.”

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