By ANTHONY BOTTAN
Seifert, who has been a registered nurse for the past 16 years, said she has learned a lot from her time as an emergency room nurse at South Nassau Hospital. The valuable lessons in the E.R. made it easier for her to handle the pressure-filled situations she and her rescue squad encounter on a regular basis.
"The best way is to lead by example," Seifert said.
Seifert married her high school sweetheart, Tom, and they have two children - Katie, 13, and Matthew, 9.
As captain, Seifert responds to at least 200 calls per year herself, setting the bar for the other rescue workers to follow her lead. "You can't be a leader and show up for 10 calls a year," Seifert said. Captain Seifert said that keeping the department members motivated might be her hardest task. She stills expects her volunteers to respond to calls, but tells them that their families and jobs come before the department.
Unlike other department members, Captain Seifert does not have any family members in the ERFD. After one of her friends in the fire department was killed during the terrorist attacks on 9/11, she witnessed the outpour of support from the community and realized she wanted to be part of that "family." So Seifert put in her application into the ERFD and was doctrinated in 2002.
As the first female captain in the department, Seifert said she has no problem garnering respect from the male members of the department. If anything, it is the complete opposite.
"It's like having a dozen brothers," Seifert said. "When my husband was sent to Iraq, the guys would come over and help with anything I needed. I wouldn't have been able to survive without them."
But above all, what Seifert wants to do with her new position, is be a role model for children. She said she wants to show children that they don't have to be motivated by money, but can learn by wanting to help people. Her daughter, Katie, is already a junior firefighter. Seifert said she wants to show kids, especially girls, that being a firefighter is not only for men.
"If it's something you love, don't be afraid. People will accept you for it," Seifert said.
Captain Seifert explained that to join the department, people do not need to have any medical background or experience. All the training, like basic CPR, First Aid and airway management, are all taught to volunteers by the department. Plus, Seifert said, the work is very rewarding.
"When you see the relief on a scared person's face when we pull up, there is really nothing like it," Seifert said.
