Trenton, N.J. Fire Department appoints first woman fire captain in its history

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As a young girl, Marissa Bergen dreamed of a career that would allow her to help people and do something exciting. She thought about becoming a commercial airline pilot, but after high school, Bergen joined Trenton Emergency Medical Services as an EMT, and decided to take the fire department’s written exam.

“It looked cool so I took the test,” she said.

Bergen joined the Trenton Fire Department at the beginning of 2017, and she was promoted to captain on March 14, 2025. She is the first woman to hold the position in the department’s history.

Firefighting remains a male dominated profession

According to the nonprofit Women in Fire, an organization that supports women in the fire service, there are about 90,000 women firefighters in the United States, which equates to 9% of all firefighters. The vast majority of women firefighters, 72,400, are volunteers. The group estimates about 6% of fire captains are women.

The Trenton Fire Department has nine women firefighters out of 218 total members.

Bergen said the department and her male colleagues have been very supportive and being a captain has not caused any problems.

“I’ve worked with a lot of great crews, I’ve never had any issues here,” she said. “The guys have actually been so super beyond supportive, and a lot of them have actually helped me get to where I am. It’s really like having a second family, the guys are all great, I made it this far, right?”

Bergen said sometimes when she arrives at the scene of a fire, she will get surprised reactions.

“‘Oh my God, it’s a lady firefighter.’ I just say ‘Yep,’ and keep it moving,” she said. “Obviously, we’re there to mitigate an emergency. At the end of the day, we all have to do the same job.”

 Creating equal opportunity

Trenton Fire Director Kenneth Douglas said he’s proud to have Bergen as one of the 53 captains in his department.

“The fire department is an equal opportunity career. She took the same exam that any man would have to take and she did better than most of them,” he said.

After passing the written exam, Bergen was required to give an oral presentation and answer questions about different scenarios she might face. Then came the physical test.

“You’re in a weighted vest and then you pretty much run an obstacle course with basic functions that you might see on the job,” she said. “They have a simulation of raising a ladder, you go up and down stairs with a high-rise pack, you do a dummy-drag, stuff like that,” she said.

Bergen passed the test with flying colors.

“She’s a leader in this department, she’s teaching some of these guys what to do,” Douglas said.

He’s hopeful that having Bergen as a captain will inspire other women in his department to take the exam and become captain. And Douglas is already encouraging Bergen to eventually take the fire department chief exam.

“If she’s interested, she could become the first battalion chief,” he said.

Responsibilities of a Fire Captain

“Everywhere is structured a little different but for the Trenton Fire Department, the captain is the officer for the truck, so you’re responsible for that truck and that crew for that shift,” Bergen said.

“If it’s a house fire and you show up first, you’re making the call if you’re going offensive or defensive, if you’re going in or staying out [of the structure].”

She said if the fire chief arrives on the scene, he will oversee the operation and the captain and their crew will work together along with other companies that have responded to put out the fire.

Bergen works 48 hours a week, not including overtime.

“It’s 24 [hours on] 72 off schedule,” she said. “Our shift starts at 7 a.m. and it ends 7 o’clock the next day, so there’s times when you’re up for 24 hours, but you do get three days off to recover, so it does help balance it out.”

Bergen has two firefighters under her command in Fire House 8: Dominic Otero and Craig Owens. During their 24-hour shift they live in a small firehouse as a family.

Otero, who is 20 years old, is new on the job. He said Bergen is an “excellent leader.”

“She helps me train every day, we’ll drive around the [fire] truck, we’ll learn the streets, talk to people, pump water,” he said.

Owens, who’s been a firefighter for 16 years, drives the Engine 8 truck when responding to a call. He said he enjoys being part of Bergen’s team.

“I think she’s a great person, and as a captain she covers all the bases,” he said. “She checks all the boxes.”

Otero described being a firefighter as “very exciting and fun” and said he’s learned a lot from Bergen, who he described as a great captain and outstanding cook.

“She makes an excellent smash burger,” he said.

Bergen said she’s received a lot of training about building construction and fire behavior that has prepared her for the job.

“How fire works and operates inside of certain buildings, based on history and data and statistics, it’s just one of those things where you have to know what to look for, what to do, what not to do, when to take action, when to maybe not take action,” she said. “You have to be able to make decisions and judgement calls to keep yourself and your crew safe, but also at the same time protect life and property at the same time.”

Is she a role model?

Bergen said she has a great sense of pride in what she does, but she doesn’t consider herself a role model.

“I don’t like the ‘Oh look at me, look what I’m doing’, you know what I mean? But at the end of the day, it’s a great job because you do get to help people and help the community, and give back in that sense,” she said.

At the same time, she understands being a woman in a leadership position in the Trenton Fire Department is special.

“It’s good that people look up to the job and the position because it might help kids,” she said.

She believes all kids, girls and boys, should consider a career in fire fighting.

“I would tell them to go for it,” she said. “There’s nothing stopping you, just work hard and you’ll get there. Explore it as an option, don’t put all your eggs in one basket, like at least check it out.”

Douglas hopes more women would now feel inspired to join the department.

“On a lot of the home [construction] shows, I see women hosts building and fixing up houses,” he said. “If they can build houses and be police officers, why can’t they be a firefighter? I encourage all women to take the firefighter exam.”

But he knows it’s a challenging career and not everybody is cut out for it.

“How many people are going to swear to put their life on the line for others and run into a dangerous situation when people are running out of it?” he said.

He said many people who apply to become firefighters don’t make it because it’s not an easy job and the risks are significant.

“TV is one thing. Reality is something else,” he said.