First female firefighter paved way for progress

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By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter

The phrase “glass ceiling” has been in use quite often lately, especially with the last election. However, years before breaking the glass ceiling meant having a female candidate for president, there were glass ceilings breaking every day in ways that may have been overlooked.

Renee Foster broke her own glass ceiling 27 years ago when she became the first woman hired by the Dover Fire Department. Earlier this year, she broke another when she was promoted to lieutenant, making her the first woman to receive a promotion within the department. All these years later and she still loves her work, despite the hurdles she has had to overcome.

“There’s a saying in the industry I believe it certainly applies here. You hear it all the time up at the fire academy—that the fire service industry is 200 years of tradition impeded by progress,” Foster shared. “And in this case, to me, it certainly rings true, but I believe we’ve made progress, especially in this town.” Her path to today has certainly been a process, and she admitted that she was surprised that her promotion didn’t happen sooner. However, she still loves her work and does all that she can to keep moving forward and be her best self. “I’ve always been very progressive as far as my own training and my own education and my own career path,” Foster shared. “I would’ve thought that this would’ve moved this process along a lot sooner, but now it’s my time, and I’m happy to step into this role.”

A Dover-Sherborn local, Foster never thought about being involved with fire service as a child. When she was in college, she dated someone who was in the department, which began her interest. “I’d watch him go to the calls and get an understanding of how the whole thing worked, and I was like, ‘that sounds kind of cool, maybe I’ll try it,’” she shared.

“Our first apartment was here in Dover right across from the station, so I called them up one day, and I had taken the EMT class and I said, ‘I’d like to get be on the department,’ and that’s how it all started.” Having taken the EMT class, she knew immediately that she wanted more. She finished up college and stayed another year to become a paramedic.

About 15 years ago, the Dover Fire Department began to send new hires to the Massachusetts Fire Academy. Even though it was optional, Foster knew that she wanted the experience. “It boosted my confidence, and I got exposure to so many more things that you can’t possibly do on a call department. You’re up there for four months,” she said. Since then, she has taken a number of classes, including a wide range of leadership and fire officer courses to prepare herself for what would be expected in that role.

When asked about her future within the department, Foster smiled. “It took me 27 years to get here, so I don’t have 27 years left of my career. Of course I aspire to move up the ranks, and I’ll do what I need to do. But at the end of the day, that part of it is out of my control,” she shared.

No matter the official title, Foster has blazed a trail for women in the Dover-Sherborn area that will be remembered for years to come.