Jessica Ellerbe, Uniondale's first woman Fire Chief, leads the way forward

Uniondale is paving the way forward with the appointment of the community's first woman, and county's first Black woman as fire chief, Jessica Ellerbe, who was sworn in in April.

Ellerbe’s achievement is significant for breaking barriers not just for women, but for Black women specifically — who, according to the Pew Research Center, experience significantly more discrimination than white women in most careers. Her election not only highlights her exceptional capabilities, but also serves as a powerful symbol of progress.

Born and raised in Uniondale, Ellerbe says she was inspired to pursue a career in civil service because of her father, Uniondale firefighter Leonard Ellerbe. At age 13 she joined the junior firefighters, and eventually graduating and joined the department’s Company Guard.

“When I finally turned 13, I loved it,” Jessica said. “My dad was the adviser for the juniors, and it was the coolest thing ever. I just knew this was something that I wanted to do.”

She credits her father for helping mold her into the passionate and hardworking firefighter and chief she became. He encouraged her to seriously consider a career in civil service and doing what she loved to do, she said, rather than getting a regular job just to survive.

Ellerbe recognized the chiefs who preceded her, and said she learned from their differing leadership styles. “I look for the best traits in each of the chiefs that came before me, and see what they do and what works for them, and figure out how that will work for me,” she said.

Her work as a Fire Alarm Dispatcher dispatcher for the New York City Fire Department added to her appreciation for the opportunity to help people. “I thought I enjoyed being a volunteer firefighter,” she said, “and then I started that position as a dispatcher, and ended up having even more love for what I was doing.”

Her goals as Chief
Ellerbe hopes to build the department’s morale, modernize its workspaces, expand on the resources available to firefighters and create atmosphere in which they can discuss mental health in a comfortable setting.

“Teamwork is something that is very important to me,” she said, “and creating a safe space where people can talk, because we know suicide rates are high among first responders. But besides suicide, mental health in general is important, and to discuss the things that people don’t really talk about and they’re not comfortable talking about.

“I think, without a safe space, you can’t really do much, especially with a bunch of grown men,” she added. “It’s hard to get them comfortable, and a lot of people are unable to express themselves — and when they’re unable to express themselves, we struggle really hard.”

According to the Nassau County Police Department’s Office of the Commissioner’s 2021 report, titled “Suicide Prevention in Nassau County,” the suicide rate among first responders in the county is higher than the national average of 11.5 per 100,000 people, and is on the rise. In 2019 there were 10 suicides among county first responders, and the following year there were 13.

In 2021, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline reported a 25 percent increase in calls from first responders from around the country, most likely due to the added stresses of the coronavirus pandemic. Ellerbe said she is hopeful that together, under her leadership, members of the department can tackle mental health issues head on, and lead by example for other departments.

Facing challenges
Ellerbe described her experience as chief thus far as “amazing,” and added that every day is challenging, and brings something new. “Our district is so complex, and we never know what to expect,” she said.

But hers has not been an entirely smooth road to the top of the ranks, she noted. As a Black woman in a male-dominated line of work, she has had to change minds and hearts, and worked extra hard to gain the respect of some of her colleagues over the years.

Ellerbe believes the “skepticism” she experienced even after being elected chief can be boiled down to a fear of the unknown. “The way that I perceived it, I think it’s just that there’s never been a female chief, so they may not know what to expect from me,” she said. “I think they’re just trying to observe and watch and say, is she going to do a good job?”

She added, “I think I would be wrong to say there isn’t skepticism, because I think in the beginning there was. But now that they see my work and they see what I’m doing, that I care about them, everything is different now, and starting to come around.”

Ellerbe said she wanted her elevation to chief to inspire young girls across the state, and the country, to chase their dreams, because even if there is a lack of representation, they can still break barriers.

“I would tell them that they can do it — they can do anything,” she said. “In certain fields, you're going to be different, and you have to be OK with being different, and sometimes it’s frustrating, and sometimes it’s very, very uncomfortable walking into certain rooms that you know you’re going to be the only one, but know that it’s OK, and you’re going to do fine.”