Amanda Newhall joins full time fire department staff after years as a reserve
Amanda Newhall has wanted to be a firefighter since she was in the 7th grade. On September 11, 2001 she watched the horror unfold on TV and saw the incredible bravery of the men and women who went storming in to the crumbling towers to try to save victims. In that moment, she was hooked and she started setting her goals for her future life.
“For me, and for all of for my generation, it was a catalyst,” she said. “I was in middle school and I was listening to all the adults talk about the incident and not really knowing anything other than, ‘Wow, look at those guys! I want to do that!’
Newhall grew up in Rohnert Park, and quickly joined the Explorers, a program put on in conjunction with the Boy Scouts for youth interested in law enforcement and firefighting careers. The Rohnert Park program focused on both, and Newhall was only interested in the fire program, so she eventually switched to the Healdsburg Explorer program, which allowed total focus on firefighting. At 19, she joined the Healdsburg Fire Department as a reserve firefighter, which is similar to a volunteer firefighter, though they do receive a small stipend.
“Typically they have full-time jobs doing other things, but at night or on weekends they fill in for or augment the staff for the city,” she said.
When she was a high school senior, Newhall started taking fire science and medical training classes at the Santa Rosa Junior College and received an associate’s degree in Fire Science before transferring to Sonoma State University and receiving a bachelor’s degree in sociology. On paper, that may seem an odd choice for someone dreaming of life in a firehouse, but Newhall says it’s come in very handy, as her role has expanded.
“It’s funny, I was kicking myself for a long time, wondering why I did sociology,” she said. “But, now I’m in charge of the behavioral health and wellness program and its super important. I get to use those skills now, so it’s really come full circle – looking at research and developing programs.”
While its clear Newhall isn’t enamored of the idea of being a spokesperson for her gender, it is noteworthy, though not unprecedented. Sonoma County’s first female Fire Engineer was also part of Healdsburg’s firehouse, Gala Norton, and the current Fire Marshall, Linda Collister is also female.
“She is awesome and of a generation that paved the way for mine,” Newhall said of Collister. “She’s been super supportive and has set the stage for me there. There are not any other females that spend the night (at the station while on call) though, as she does suppression and serves in a battalion chief role.”
Newhall acknowledges that she faces challenges as the sole woman, but she feels she has certain advantages also. “It takes a lot for me to keep up with the guys physically, I have to put in a lot of personal training hours,” she said. “But it’s nice if we need to work with female victims. Also, I’m smaller in stature, so it’s easier for me to get in smaller spaces. As far as the behavioral health stuff, I feel like I have a leg up as it’s easier for some of the guys to talk to me. It can be a little daunting to talk to another male about that stuff.
“We all play to each others’ strengths,” she continued. “I bring something different to the table than the next person, and we just work together.”
When Newhall applied to be hired on for a full time fire engineer slot, she went through an extensive testing and interview process. Healdsburg Fire Chief Jason Boaz said in a statement: “The testing process (which included 24 highly qualified candidates) involved a written test, oral board interviews, a manipulative test and a Fire Chief’s interview. All of the proctors and scorers were from outside agencies and respected industry professionals. Amanda was the top scoring candidate. I am certain that she will continue to raise the bar with her strong work ethic, loyalty and positive attitude.”
Newhall’s enthusiasm for all parts of her role is infectious. “I love going out on strike teams,” she said. “Out of county work is really fun. I’m coming in to the role as driver, but it’s really fun to drive code three (lights and sirens). It’s fun to pump and fun to train, but I love out of county big incidents. You get to network with so many other people, you get to know your team better and build camaraderie and you get to work at fighting fires.”
Newhall she isn’t resting on her laurels. At the time of her interview, she was attending a fire mechanic’s academy in Sacramento to be able to do more work on the engine she loves. “I’m trying to help the city mechanic by trying to learn what I can do,” she said.
Newhall has lived in Cloverdale with her husband since 2014 and looks forward to a long career with HFD.
“I really want to be a really great engineer, that’s my short term goal,” she said. “I want to take over this appointment — I want to be the person people go to if they are looking at doing something with the equipment. I’d like to work towards being an acting captain, and I would like to be a captain someday, but that will take a while, so I have to be patient.
“I would like my behavioral health program to go somewhere,” she continued. “And to work on a command team eventually, working on wild land fires. But, also any big disaster where they need a huge team of people to come in and take over, for big long term responses with tons of people.”
