HISTORY! Hoboken's FIRST WOMAN Fire Battalion Chief!

 Audra Carter, Hoboken's new Fire Battalion Chief ♀

In recent years, Hoboken municipal government has seen a lot of firsts. 

They include, but are not limited to: Dawn Zimmer Hoboken's first female and Jewish mayor,  Ravi Bhalla, our first Sikh mayor,  Mike DeFusco, our first openly LGBT Council member,  Kimberli Craft, Hoboken's first female African American City Engineer, Vanessa Falco, Hoboken's first African American Council Vice President, and as of 1 pm today, Audra Carter, Battalion Chief in the Hoboken Fire Department.

Congratulations, Chief Carter!

We ladies know how hard we have to work to climb the ladder in typically male-dominated professions. There will always be others to tear us down, whisper behind our backs, even say we are not as competent or as deserving as a male peer to merit a promotion.  So, Chief Carter must really be something special. 

I am proud to live in a city that honors diversity and rewards merit.  Thanks, Mayor Bhalla for adding another woman to a leadership position in Hoboken.  

Oh, and my bad- also deserving of congratulations is Firefighter Josh Piñeiro on his promotion to Fire Captain. 

Congratulations Captain Piñeiro!

This City Hall press release came out earlier today: 

"Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla today will promote Audra Carter to Battalion Chief in the Hoboken Fire Department, the first female ever to occupy the position in Hoboken’s history. Battalion Chief Carter is an 18-year veteran of the Hoboken Fire Department, having served as a Firefighter for ten years and most recently as a Fire Captain since 2011. Throughout her career, she established an expertise in modern fire suppression and fire prevention principles, marine rescue, emergency preparedness and emergency medical services. Mayor Bhalla will also promote Joshua Piñeiro, a 13-year veteran of the Hoboken Fire Department, from Firefighter to Fire Captain. The promotions follow the recent retirement of Battalion Chief William Rozmester, who served on the Fire Department for 26 years.

The official promotion ceremony for Audra Carter to Battalion Chief and Joshua L. Piñeiro to Fire Captain will take place at 1 pm today at City Hall, and is limited to invitation only due to social distancing regulations.

“I’m extremely proud to promote Audra to Battalion Chief in the Hoboken Fire Department,” said Mayor Bhalla. “Not only is Battalion Chief Carter supremely qualified for the position given her 18 years serving as a Firefighter and Fire Captain, she also has the tenacity to keep improving in her profession to serve as a shining example to others. I can think of no better person to serve as a trailblazer in the Hoboken Fire Department as the first ever female Battalion Chief and send my congratulations to Audra and her colleagues on this historic day. I also extend my sincere congratulations to Fire Captain Piñeiro on the well-deserved promotion to Fire Captain and thank Battalion Chief Rozmester for his 26 years of public service to our residents.”

“Congratulations to our newly promoted fire officers: Battalion Chief Carter will be assigned as Training Officer and Captain Pineiro will be Health and Safety Officer,” said Hoboken Fire Chief Brian Crimmins. “Congratulations also to Battalion Chief Rozmester who recently retired after 26 years of dedicated service to our community.”

“This is a historic and proud moment for the City and its residents because it elevates a woman to the highest ranks of the Fire Department,” said Councilwoman Emily Jabbour. “As the mother of two young daughters, I hope Battalion Chief Carter’s promotion will send a message to all girls and women that if you work hard and are qualified, there are no barriers toward service at the highest levels of the Hoboken Fire Department. I also want to congratulate Josh Piñeiro on achieving the rank of Fire Captain, and send my best wishes to him and his family on the occasion.”

“Congratulations to Battalion Chief Carter for her historical promotion,” said Amy Hanifan, President of Women in Fire. “This serves as a testament to the positive progression of the department to serve their community in an inclusive manner. These earned opportunities always make me so proud of the individual that earned the role, there is a great amount of preparation and effort that goes into the process. Best of luck Chief Carter!”

As a Fire Captain, Ms. Carter was responsible for leading and participating in emergency responses, including fires, rescues, accidents, medical situations, and other hazardous conditions. She was also responsible for ensuring calls for service were responded to in a safe and timely manner. Battalion Chief Carter graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2000 with a B.S. in Business Administration. She graduated from the Bergen County Fire Academy in 2003 and achieved a “U.S. of America Merchant Marine Credential” from the Nautical School of New York. She holds certification in CPR & First Aid, Incident Management System (I-100, I-200, I-300), IS-700 National Incident Management System, Hazardous Materials Awareness and Operations, and Hazardous Materials Incident Analysis.

As a Firefighter, Mr. Piñeiro served as a fire instructor, special rope rescue technician, became a member of the International Association of Arson Investigators, and was previously honored as the Puerto Rican Firefighter of the Year, among several other recognitions. Mr. Piñeiro was an accomplished baseball player, serving as the captain of the St. Peter’s College baseball team, and was an inductee to the 2011 Hoboken High School Hall of Fame. He graduated from St. Peter’s with a Bachelor of Arts in 2004, and from Hoboken High School in 1999."