Interim Rochester fire chief is the first woman to lead the department

Rochester Fire Department Chief Felipe Hernandez Jr. will retire this week after more than two decades with the department. Executive Deputy Chief Teresa Everett will serve as interim chief, making her the department's first female chief and first Black woman to lead the department.

Everett joined the department nearly four years ago and was the first female Black executive deputy fire chief in Rochester's history, said city spokeswoman Barbara Pierce.

Earlier in her career, Everett was a deputy chief of training for the Rochester Fire Department for three years, between from 2007 and 2010. In between her two stretches in Rochester, she served as deputy fire chief in Baltimore, Maryland and as the fire chief in Gary, Indiana and College Park, Georgia.

A nationwide search is underway to find Hernandez's replacement.

"Teresa Everett brings unparalleled experience to the interim chief role and I thank her for her continued leadership as we identify the next permanent chief of the RFD,” Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said in a news release. “She has expressed her intention to retire later this year and is the ideal person to serve as the department’s leader during the search.”

Hernandez worked for the department for 23 years and had led the 506-member department for the past two years. He was the first Latino chief of a major metropolitan fire department in New York, according to city officials. His last day will be Friday, Feb. 10.

Hernandez served in a variety of roles after he joined the department in 2000, including time as the municipal training officer and various roles in the line division. Before he became chief, he was the department's second-in-command for about two years as executive deputy chief.

RFD employs 482 firefighters and 24 civilians and responds to 36,000 calls per year.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Teresa Everett named interim fire chief in Rochester NY