The township fire department will have a woman chief for the first time in 2016, nearly 100 years after her great-great-grandfather served as the department's first chief.
RIVER VALE -- The township fire department will have a woman chief for the first time in 2016, nearly 100 years after her great-great-grandfather served as the department's first chief.
Kellie Goodell, 33, is a fifth-generation firefighter. She joined the River Vale Fire Department's cadet program when she was 13 and became a regular when she was 18.
Her great-great-grandfather, Leopold Herrmann, was River Vale's first fire chief in 1923. On Friday, she was sworn in as the volunteer department's first woman chief.
Perhaps because it's in her blood, Goodell has been drawn to emergency responding since she was young. She's also an emergency dispatcher in Fort Lee.
"It's just something I've always liked," she said. "No day's ever going to be the same."
Goodell said she hopes to be a strong leader for the department, like her forefathers.
"I just want to help the guys out and keep the department moving along," she said.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
