SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Fire Department’s new Fire Chief was sworn into the position on Thursday of last week.
After just three days on the job, Valerie Frausto said, “It’s really unbelievable, actually. I don’t think it’s sunk in just yet.”
Monday, the 24-year SAFD veteran sat down with KSAT’s Courtney Friedman for her first one-on-one TV interview since landing her new job.
The San Antonio native has held several leadership positions within SAFD and beat out 64 other candidates during the months-long interview process.
The top takeaways from her interview covered her past, present, and future.
Pressures of the job
“I think I’m always going to feel it. It’s just my nature. I feel pressure. No matter where I’m at and in any role that I’ve ever held. I certainly don’t want to let anybody down.”
Which positions you’ve held best prepared you for this one?
“Any one of the officer roles just because it’s life or death decisions. That kind of experience and knowing what the men and women go through on a daily basis and how difficult the job can be, I think that goes a long way. My colleagues, we’ve worked together for a very long time. And there’s that relationship that just has evolved over time.”
Are there any big changes or goals that you want to come to the table with off the bat?
“I think I’m going to take some time because I think I know what the issues are. But just to confirm that, so I don’t make a decision that I don’t have all the information.”
On the specifics of the changes, Frausto said, “I think it’s across the board, and it’s really with morale, with communication, with transparency and accountability. Operationally, I think we’re very sound.”
Becoming the first female fire chief in San Antonio
“I feel like this changes the fire service altogether. It really does. And it really means to me that no matter what you do, as long as you are determined and you work hard, you can accomplish really anything. When I got in the fire department, I never imagined that I was going to be the fire chief, especially of San Antonio, the seventh largest city.”
“I want to be a role model for young women. We have the ‘Hero Like Her’ camps and they’re able to see us in uniform. And that’s exactly what got me in the fire department. It was a was a lifelong dream, and it wasn’t until I saw somebody in uniform that I was like, ‘You know what? I can I can do this.’”
“We really have to change society because it’s just a belief that, you know, there are certain jobs that are for men and certain jobs that are for women. But it really comes down to just helping people, serving your community, and doing what you love to do.”
Following a predecessor accused of negative comments about women: what weight does that hold?
“I had to really think about that one because I don’t want to have the fact that is why I’m the fire chief because that is not why I’m the fire chief. I have worked my way into this position. If anything, it just makes you stronger, and it certainly did empower me. I feel like I’ve gained the respect of my coworkers.
What do you want San Antonio to know about you outside the fire department?
“I love the outdoors. I love to hike and to fish, and I love helping people.”
What type of relationship do you have with the relatively new administration at the firefighter’s union?
“We actually have a very good relationship. We have worked together, probably starting around 2015. So I mean, we agree on a lot of things, disagree on some things, but I think it’s going to take a lot of just collaboration. And I look forward to it. I plan to meet with him at least once a month. We call each other from time to time, just bounce ideas off of each other.”
Tackling issues of firefighters nationwide, but also in San Antonio, dying from cancer
“I was over the wellness center, so a lot of those protocol changes started happening several years back, and then with the quartermaster and the Clean Cabin Initiative. It’s just compounded the level of protection that we have in place. We are constantly looking at how we can be better and how we can reduce the level of risk and exposure.”
Taking on mental health stigma within the department
“It’s really just comes down to communication and building that trust. Because if people feel comfortable talking to one of their coworkers, that’s really all that matters. Make sure that everybody understands that it’s OK to not be OK. And you know, I’m open, and I encourage people to talk about the incidents because if you don’t talk about it, it’ll just be something that you hold on to, and it really will bring you down.”
These are just some of the topics covered. Watch the full interview below: