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Date: 9/14/2023
PALMER — Recruit Firefighter Renee Forgues is the newest full-time member of the Palmer Fire Department. She is the sixth addition to the full-time staff at Palmer Fire Department and the department’s first female full-time firefighter.
“It feels amazing,” Forgues said. “I’m so proud and grateful to have been given this opportunity by Chief Bernat. The support from everybody there has been astronomical. It’s a great team and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director William J. Bernat added, “We are excited to have Firefighter Forgues join our ranks as a full-time member of the Palmer Fire Department. We are confident Firefighter Forgues will be an exceptional addition to our full-time staff. Approximately 5% of our nation’s career firefighters are female, and the Palmer Fire Department is proud to be a driving force of change.”
Forgues said she has always been interested in civil service and had a desire to do something that was rewarding. When Forgues was younger, she didn’t think she had what it took to be a firefighter, so she did odds jobs. Through networking and meeting new people throughout life, Forgues realized a career as a firefighter wasn’t as unattainable as she thought it was. She wasn’t fulfilled in the work she was doing previously and decided to try and do a full career change. Forgues went to the Massachusetts Firefighter Academy in Springfield. It was 15 weeks on top of her working her previous full-time position and being a single mom.
Forgues told Reminder Publishing it was a lot of work and it was very hard on her and her family.
“They really stepped up to help with my daughter,” Forgues added. “My father and his wife, as well as my mother and her husband, and my daughter’s grandparents from her father’s side all stepped up to help either do sleepovers with her or bring her to hockey practice or whatever I needed to complete the classes I needed to. I’m forever grateful for having all of them be so helpful and supportive of her and I through all of this.”
It was suggested that Forgues apply to Palmer after talking about her interest in being a part of the fire service with some friends of hers that are firefighters currently from the gym she goes to.
At the Palmer Fire Department, Forgues was originally hired as an on-call firefighter and in under a year completed both the call/volunteer fire academy and EMT school. Bernat said since her hire as an on-call firefighter, Forgues has proven her commitment and dedication to achieving her goals.
Her work ethic and ability to balance a full-time job, raising her daughter, studying, completing the call/volunteer firefighter academy and EMT school were a huge factor in the department’s decision to hire her.
Right now, Forgues would like to continue educating herself and move up through the Fire Department at Palmer. She wants to learn as much as she can and eventually would like to go back to school for her medic within five years. Later in November, Forgues is heading to the Career Academy.
“I feel very proud about all the things that I’ve accomplished this past year,” Forgues pointed out. “My most rewarding part is for my daughter to see the outcome from start to finish of what real hard work and determination will bring for you.”