Comly Becomes SIC’s 1st Female Firefighter

SEA ISLE CITY – Kerri Comly is no stranger to working in a man’s world. 
At 28, she is a barber by trade. In between juggling her job, family, relationships and life, she became Sea Isle City’s first female firefighter in its volunteer fire department.
“In the beginning, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal,” she said, “but as people got word of it, they would tell me that I was making history; I would be in the history books as the first female firefighter. I was raised here, I grew up here, and I just thought that was crazy.”
On the other hand, she admitted, “I am so shocked that I am the first female firefighter in a company that has been around since the 1920s.”
Comly said she “always wanted” to be a firefighter, but her dream was always “put on a back burner” because of other things. When her sister suddenly passed away three years ago, she realized “you have to do what you want. Life is too short, so I started doing for me and I applied to the fire department.”
After she applied and was voted in by the department members, she enrolled in firefighting school to learn the procedures and receive hands-on training for four months. However, her dream was put on hold when the Covid pandemic hit, and training stopped.
“I finished school last August through December and have been with the department a year, as of last January,” she said.
At first, she worried whether she would be able to pull her weight, literally. 
“You have to pull dudes out of the burning building,” she said, admitting she was initially worried about her ability to do so. “Now, I know I can do it.”
She said initially some of the other firefighters thought she was a “girlie-girl. Now, I am one of the bros. I work in a male industry, so I know how to hold my own.”
Since January, she’s been on about 10 calls, most recently when a 3-year-old set off a fire alarm accidentally. 
“While I was training, I could go on calls, but not be in the hot zone,” she said. “With any call, you still have to go and check it out because you need to make sure there is no fire. Fortunately, in Sea Isle, we haven’t had many serious calls.”
Besides responding to emergencies, Comly and her fellow firefighters check the trucks and equipment every week. 
“You need to be sure the ladder isn’t broken, or a hose has a hole in it,” she said.
Because accidents, fires or other incidents can happen at any time, Comly thinks a volunteer firefighter’s lifestyle is not well understood. 
“We can get calls at 3 a.m., 7 a.m., or midnight, and we have to get in our car and go,” she noted, “and then we have to go to work and go about life with all our responsibilities. While I may be opening the door to females in Sea Isle, all volunteer departments need volunteers. It is so rewarding, and I think it’s awesome. I would definitely do it again.
“I don’t think the volunteers get the credit they deserve for volunteering and then working at their regular jobs. They could have been at an emergency four hours ago and now they are at work,” she added.
She advisedthat if drivers see a firefighter’s blue lights on the road, they should “pull over and let us by. People don’t move; they look at us like we are just trying to get someplace fast.
“Well, we are,” she pointed out. “However, the people who will lose out are the people whose house is burning, or who are in a car accident. Everyone needs to work together, get out of the way, so the firefighter can do their job. You won’t know how important it is until it happens to you.”
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.