Another first for the City of Progress occurred with the hiring of the first female firefighter.
At a news conference held Sept. 9 at the central fire station, Enterprise Mayor William “Bill” Cooper and Fire Chief Christopher Davis announced that Brithany Dookie has joined the fire fighting staff.
A native of the Caribbean Island of Trinidad and Tobago living in New York City, Dookie came to the area to visit family stationed at Fort Rucker.
“This is a historic day in the city of Enterprise,” said Cooper, recalling a conversation that he had nearly four years ago with then Fire Chief Byron Herring. “I told him I saw a female firefighter in another city and I asked Herring if we were ready for such.
“He said it wouldn’t take long to get prepared for such as this and here we we are in 2021, young lady,” Cooper told Dookie. “Welcome aboard. This is going to open the door for others.”
“Obviously we’re happy to have her,” said Davis. “This is a first—and that is important—but I think the most important thing about Brithany is that she has such a servant’s heart, a genuinely good person.
“It did not take me long into the interview to realize that she probably used the word ‘servant’ 20 times and I was sold. I continued the interview but she was hired at that point,” Davis said. “She’s fit in well. It is important to know that she is already a certified firefighter.
“Her confidence and her interest in education and leadership is phenomenal,” Davis said. “That made hiring her even easier. She’s going to be an excellent part of the team.”
“In Trinidad, when you hear about ‘the American dream’ for us that’s a real thing,” said Dookie. “I want to live a life of service. When you live a life of service, everything else falls into place.
“I’m just grateful to be here. My journey here has been a long journey coming from my island,” she added. “I hope I am a role model for young girls. I really want to be great at this job.
“I believe that if you are not living a life of service, you need to rethink,” Dookie said. “I always think how can I help someone and now I have a job in which I can help people.”
“The day is finally here and I don’t think we could have chosen a better candidate to be at the center of this historic mark in our community,” Cooper added. “We look forward to working with Brithany and having her as part of the Enterprise employee family.”
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