Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 6-25-21

Local
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Last year, an investigation in the Tampa Fire Department was launched. Mayor Jane Castor appointed Division Chief Barbara Tripp as In- terim Fire Chief.
On Friday, Interim Chief Tripp will become the first African American woman and the 22nd Tampa Fire Chief to lead the department. Mayor Castor will host a Swearing-In Ceremony at 1:30 p.m., Friday, June 25th. It will take place at Fire Station #5, where Chief Tripp began her career with the City of Tampa.
Mayor Castor said, “Chief Tripp is a transforma- tive leader who embodies the experience and vision needed to fortify our city’s fire rescue services as Tampa continues to grow and new challenges im- pacting the health and wellness of our community arise.
“I’m looking forward to supporting her in this journey to not only enhance the depart- ment from within, but to also implement new initiatives to help foster positive relation- ships between our fire rescue personnel and the community they serve.”
Chief Tripp said, “It is definitely a privilege and a blessing to have been selected for a prestige position. I am honored and blessed to know Mayor Castor and City Coun-
Mayor Appoints First Black Woman As Fire Chief
Project RISES Town Hall Meeting
sports as well as community recreational sports.
After graduating from Hillsborough High School in 1984, she enrolled at the Uni- versity of South Florida.
Chief Tripp also contin- ued her education by earning an Associates of Art Degree, Associate of Science Degree in EMS Management, and an As- sociate of Science in Nursing from Hillsborough Community College. She later received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from St. Petersburg College.
Since joining the Tampa Fire Department, Chief Tripp has continued her education, earning several certifications including Critical Care Tech, Urban Search and Rescue, Honor Guard, Paramedic of Record, Paramedic Field Train- ing Officer, Hazardous Materi- als Technician, Camp Hopetake Counselor, and Crit- ical Incident Stress Manage- ment Team member. Chief Tripp is also a graduate of Leadership Tampa 2020.
The mother of 4 children and 7 grandchildren, Chief Tripp is a member of First Baptist Church of Progress Vil- lage, where she serves on nu- merous auxiliaries.
As a member of Hopetake, she mentors children who have been severely burned or in- volved in a fire incident and also finds time to work with Feeding Tampa Bay and Trinity Café, among others.
Project RISES (Racism In School Exclusionary Suspen- sions) will be holding a town hall meeting on Monday, June 28th, 6-8 p. m. at Allen Temple AME Church, 2101 N. Lowe Street in Tampa.
Project RISES explores school suspensions and the ex- tent to which perceptions of
Library News
racism or differential treat- ment are held by African American adolescents with multiple suspensions occur- ring between August 2018 to the present, and families and community members.
Survey and focus group participants will receive a $25 gift card.
CHIEF BARBARA TRIPP ... Will assume the duties of Fire Chief for the City of Tampa
cil entrust me to protect and serve the citizens of the City of Tampa.
“To become the first Black woman to hold this position in the City of Tampa is a sign of hope for many women of color and times are changing. I want women of color and our youth to know they can do anything and to chase their dreams.”
For more than 20 years, Chief Tripp has been em- ployed with the Tampa Fire De- partment. She joined the organization after completing a stint in the U. S. Navy. After completing a 4-year tour of duty, Chief Tripp launched her career in public service.
A native of Tampa, Chief Tripp is the daughter of the late K. D. and Lee M. Tripp. She attended the public schools of Hillsborough County. While at Hillsborough High School, she was active in scholastic
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