For the first time in 159 years, the Baltimore Fire Department promoted its first woman to battalion chief of the fire suppression unit.
Mayor Catherine Pugh honored Mya McConnell Wednesday at her weekly press conference at city hall.
"I'm really humbled by this and I've got a lot of family that made this possible," McConnell said.
She has been with the department for 13 years and said she would not be in her new position without her family, friends and colleagues.
"A lot of supportive people in the fire service that treated me like I was anybody else. Maybe like a daughter or like I was their sister and didn't expect anything different of me and treated me like a firefighter and expected that of me," said McConnell.
Fire Chief Niles Ford could not be happier for McConnell and her success. He hopes that young women in Baltimore see her as a role model.
"Mya McConnell is an awesome example of amazing work in the fire service. I'm so proud of her," said Ford.
