VIDEO: Meet the first Black female firefighter on Brampton’s fire trucks

Brampton | Caledon | Latest News |

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Published February 16, 2024 at 1:37 pm

One of Brampton’s newest firefighting recruits has the honour of being the first-ever Black female to work on the city’s fire trucks, a milestone being celebrated for Black History Month.

BFES Firefighter Alex Betancourt just wrapped up her training a few weeks ago but has already been given the nickname of “the fire slayer” by her colleagues.

Having already worked at least three shifts on Brampton fire trucks, Betancourt says she’s still “super new on the job” but is learning fast by picking the brains of her co-workers with more time on the job.

“My favourite part of being a firefighter with Brampton is just the amazing opportunities to learn and grow, the fantastic group of people that I get to work with, and ultimately just the community that I get to support and be a part of,” Betancourt says in a video shared by BFES on social media.

The new recruit says it was no easy task to make the cut for Brampton fire, but the results were worth the difficult training.

“It’s hard to get on, but once you’re on it’s fantastic,” she said.

Betancourt’s historic milestone comes during Black History Month, with this year marking the second year that BFES has rolled out its specially-wrapped fire engine honouring Black firefighting inventors and innovators. The truck recognizes the contributions of Black firefighters like Molly Williams, an enslaved person who was not only the first known female firefighter but also the first known Black firefighter in the United States back in 1818.

The BFES Black History Month fire truck will be travelling around Brampton during February as part of the city’s Black History Month initiatives, and residents are encouraged to visit with firefighters like Betancourt to learn about the impact of Black inventors and emergency workers.

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