Being the first Black female fire captain in the history of the Cincinnati Fire Department, this fire captain is making history. “To put it mildly, humbled,” stated Captain Alexis Mundy. “Simply incredibly fortunate.”
Mundy, who is 32 years old, is also the department’s youngest female employee to hold this position. “It can be very difficult for African American women, in particular, to even enter the fire service,” the speaker stated.
A few dozen captains make up CFD, according to department officials. There are three females. While training to become a paramedic, Mundy started her training at a fire station, although her primary goal was to become a flight nurse.
They once advised her to “just take the fire test and see what happens,” according to her. Mundy advanced from firefighter to lieutenant via hard labor. In late January 2024, she received an official promotion to captain.
She described the hours spent studying textbooks and flashcards in between runs, saying, “There’s a lot of time and effort that goes into getting promoted.”
She remarked, “It is an intensive process.” “This isn’t something for the weak of heart.”
Working with Mundy for many years, District Chief John Davis Jr. described her as a blend of “old school grit with new school ideas.” Through the department’s cadet program, the two became friends.
According to Davis Jr., “I can see the fire and it’s never going to go out.” Mundy cited Davis Jr. as an inspiration.
“It’s not that there aren’t women in the positions that I’m trying to get to; it’s just that there aren’t as many of them,” the woman stated. “Some of my biggest role models have not been other women.”
Mundy says she is proud of the possibility that she will serve as an inspiration to female firefighters in the future.
Mundy, who has two daughters, was asked by WCPO 9 what she wants her daughters to learn from her accomplishments.
She remarked, “That nothing will come easy, but anything is genuinely achievable.” “There’s no denying that the odds were stacked against me—I had my first daughter at sixteen.”
Mundy aspires to return to driving a fire truck in the future. For now, he is employed as a recruit trainer.
“Bringing more people into the fire service and encouraging them to just take that leap of faith, especially women, is something I could spend more time doing,” she remarked. “You should have this.”
