Excerpts from the Windy City Times: Pat Ciara, a long-time paramedic with the Chicago Fire Department (CFD), is the highest-ranking out lesbian in the department’s history. She recalls, “I was a tomboy from an early age and knew there was something different about me since I was seven.†Her mother, concerned about how others might view their family, often dressed her in dresses and encouraged her to play with dolls. “I didn’t play with dolls like the other girls did,†she said. “I used to rip their hair out and carry them by their legs.†After high school, Ciara worked for several years before earning an associate’s degree from Mayfair College (now Truman College) in 1975. “I worked for a private ambulance company after that and went to EMT school in 1975 at Lutheran General, then paramedic school in 1976 at Loyola University Medical Center,†she explained. “Right after I finished, I applied to the CFD, not knowing if I’d get in, but I had to try—this was what I wanted to do.†Before joining the CFD, she co-owned Town & Country Ambulance Company with a straight male partner, Gerry, for about 18 months. “We started it in 1978, and when I got my acceptance letter from the CFD in February 1980, I had to end our partnership,†she said. Ciara began her career at the CFD as a fire-medic and was promoted to paramedic-in-charge within eight months. She held that position until April 1982, then became a field chief, a role she maintained for 12 years. In 1994, she was promoted to chief of EMS training, where she oversaw all paramedics’ training and development. In 2000, she became deputy chief paramedic, overseeing 500 paramedics across a large area of Chicago. “I was in charge of everything from the lakefront to O’Hare Airport,†she said. “I did that until 9/11, after which I took on more logistical responsibilities.†When she first joined the CFD, she had to bring all her own equipment, including a blood pressure cuff, stethoscope, and intubation tools. “They had very little on the ambulances back then,†she recalled. Throughout her career, Ciara continued her education. She earned a Bachelor of Science in business management from National-Louis University in 2001 and a Master of Science in industrial relations from Loyola University in 2003. Her master’s degree helped her secure her final position: district chief, director of personnel, in 2004. “Without my master’s, I wouldn’t have gotten that job,†she said. As district chief, she managed retirement plans, hiring packets, and medical evaluations for injured or ill employees. In 2005, she suffered a mild heart attack and underwent a procedure with a stent. “I wanted to go back to work, but everyone told me to take disability,†she said. “Eventually, I decided to take the payments, but I’m still technically an active CFD paramedic. Now that I’m 68, I’m thinking about officially retiring.†She takes pride in her career and the people she mentored. “Some of the people I trained are now in positions of power,†she said. “They still call me for advice, and that makes me feel really good.†Two of those people are lesbians, and Ciara notes that the CFD still has few openly LGBTQ+ members due to lingering homophobia. She was part of LGPA/GOAL Chicago, an LGBT police and fire association, and remembers the positive reception they received during the Pride Parade. “I never really came out to my family or anyone at the fire department,†she said. “I didn’t need to—people already knew. I’m a hundred footer, and I look very butch.†Her brother, Michael, followed in her footsteps and joined the CFD seven years after her. During her time at the CFD, she spoke about her wife naturally, and both women were always included in social events. “In 2003, we had a civil union in Vermont, and we married in Provincetown, Massachusetts, on August 28, 2010, with Michael as my best man,†she said. “Since we were already married, I just needed to send my marriage license to the pension board to update my status.†Thanks, Dan Butyl Rubber Production Line,Waterproof Tape Extruder,Tape Extruder,Tape Production Machine Hebei Shuangda Rubber & Plastic Machinery Co., Ltd. , https://www.shuangdarubber.com