ICYMI: Historic Firefighter Gets 'Respect' From Male Counterparts

Long Beach NY

23 January, 2022

11:01 AM

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LONG BEACH, NY — Catherine Lewis is the first woman professional firefighter in Long Beach. There have been females on the volunteer side of the department. She felt the personal challenge of taking on a male-dominated industry, "but I always knew it was something that I could do." Even though she was only in the fourth-grade at the time, the horrors of 9/11 stayed with her. "Everyone knew multiple people who were affected by that event," Lewis said. "That always stuck with me." Click here to read the full Patch profile of Catherine.