Cook becomes highest ranking woman in Denver Fire history

DENVER - In its 133 years of existence the Denver Fire Department has never had a woman in its command staff, until now.

Monday morning Angela Cook was sworn in as the division chief at Denver International Airport, during a ceremony at the Denver City and County Building.

She was one of four firefighters promoted to Fire Chief Jim Sestrich's command staff on Monday. Deputy fire chief Gregory J. Champlin, division chief of operations Steve Maddox, and division chief of safety and training David M. Quintana were honored during the ceremony.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper spoke during the event, congratulating all of the new Denver Fire commanders, but still highlighting Cook's historic appointment.

"Ultimately these historic barriers are destined to fall," Hickenlooper said. "She was chosen, not because she was a woman, but because she's a firefighter that knows her job inside and out and just happens to be a woman."

The Denver Fire Department only began admitting women firefighters in 1985. Today of the 913 firefighters in the department, there are 40 women.

"Although the numbers are small, like this new division chief, I think their talents are great," Hickenlooper said.

He says that during difficult times, like those caused by the recession-the department needs great leaders with great ideas.

"By insuring that we include all parts of our community and get a full range of diversity, it really allows us to draw from our collective strengths," Hickenlooper said. "If you were excluding half of your population, I guarantee you would not be getting all the ideas and innovations that you needed."

Cook joined the Denver Fire Department in 1992 and received the Equity Excellence Award for promoting diversity in 1998. She also is a national speaker and instructor on incident management systems, strategy and tactics, as well as career development, according to the Denver Fire Department.