ROY — Marla Easton made history last week when she worked her first shift as a new captain of the Roy Fire Department.
Easton is the first female captain in the history of the department and she isn’t taking that lightly.
Easton has worked for Roy’s department for 18 years and has loved being a part of the Roy team.
“It’s pretty awesome but daunting. I know I am paving the way for future female captains,” Easton said of her new position.
Fire Chief Jason Poulson said having Easton on board as one of his seven captains is a big deal, but definitely deserved for Easton.
“This is huge. It’s a big deal and we are excited and proud,” Poulson said.
Poulson recently hired two new deputy chiefs which left an opening for a captain’s position.
“She scored number one on the captain’s test and number one on the chief’s interview,” Poulson said.
There were 13 applicants for the position and Easton was at the top of the list.
Applying for a captain job is not new for Easton. This was her fourth try with the rigorous captain’s test. Applicants are given a fire ground scenario and must go through what procedures and strategies should be used. Extensive interviews are also done with area chiefs plus a skills memo test, since there is much added paperwork that comes with the job.
Easton is honored to be one of the few women in the area to be a female captain, they are few and far between as are women fire fighters in general. There is only one other woman that works for Roy’s department. Poulson knows she is equal to the task.
“She is a great asset and a great leader and we are excited to have her in the role,” he said.
Easton laughed as she recently said she has only worked five shifts as a captain, not that she has kept track, she said.
“I am dedicated to doing it right,” she said.
Being a captain has been a huge goal for Easton for a long time. She was hired as an Emergency Medical Technician in 1995 and went through fire training and paramedic school and was hired full time for the city in 1999. Since then she has taken different officer classes to prepare herself to someday be a captain, but her goals don’t end there, she wants to continue to excel and be the best she can be.
She attributes much of her success to her working environment for the Roy department.
“They have great attitudes and honestly care about the people they serve every day,” she said of her fellow co-workers. “We don’t have much turn over.”
She looks forward to making personal improvements, but also to help her fellow employees improve as well.
“I want to be an example that everyone can move up,” she said.
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