TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The City of Tampa honored a woman who put the “blaze” in “trailblazer” — the city’s first female firefighter.
During Thursday’s city council meeting, members recognized Mechy Fernandez Wright, who was the first woman ever hired by Tampa Fire Rescue. The commendation award, presented by councilman Luis Viera and fire officials, came 45 years after she was hired by the department.
Wright joined Tampa Fire Rescue in 1978 and retired 20 years later. Over the course of her career, she served as a firefighter, paramedic, and fire investigator, among other roles.
Viera began his speech by noting a Tampa Tribune article that written about Wright’s hiring, which featured the headline, “Local gal finds she can take the heat.”
Wright overcame “a great many challenges” as the first woman firefighter, Viera said, and went on to break barriers within the department. She paved the way for Chief Barbara Tripp to become the first woman to serve as Tampa’s top fire official over 40 years later.
Wright came to the U.S. with her family at the age of 13, “with nothing but the shirt on her back,” as a refugee from Cuba. At age 26, she decided to join the department after learning they wanted to attract female employees.
“When she started at Tampa Fire Rescue, she knew the blood that ran inside her had been challenged with so much more, and she was ready for the challenge,” Viera said.
After retiring from the fire department in 1998, Wright received her master’s degree in behavioral analysis and spent over a decade working with people with cognitive disabilities and behavioral health problems.
“She is truly a trailblazer,” Viera said. “A woman who was the first of many who would go on after her and – no pun intended – she would ‘take the heat’ for women who would come after her.”
Wright thanked the city council for honoring her and said she was proud of her 20-year career with the city.
“It was not easy. I had rough times; I had wonderful times,” Wright said before gesturing to Chief Tripp, who was standing behind her. “It shows what I went through was worth it because, finally, women have reached the top of the ladder.”
Tripp took the podium to say she was proud to carry on Wright’s legacy, and that she was surprised it took so long for her to be formally honored for her service. She said she looked up to Wright after joining the department in the late 90s, especially for her commitment to educating community members and working to keep them safe.
Tripp also pointed out an incredible coincidence – Wright was hired by Tampa Fire Rescue on June 25, 1978, and Tripp was sworn in as the city’s first female fire chief on the same day in 2021.
