Aug 8, 2008 5:26 pm US/Eastern
Town Elects First Orthodox Jewish Woman Fire Lt.
PIKESVILLE, Md. (WJZ) ―
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History has been made at the 110-year-old Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company with the election of its first ever Orthodox Jewish female lieutenant.
CBS
History has been made at the 110-year-old Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company with the election of its first-ever Orthodox Jewish female lieutenant.
Richard Sher reports Lt. Andrea Lavine is the first in the history of Baltimore County.
"I have wanted to ride in a medic unit ever since I was seven and watched the TV series 'Emergency,'" she said.
When she's not working at the firehouse, Lt. Lavine's a wife, mother of two teenage daughters and a pediatric social worker at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
As for dress requirements for an Orthodox Jewish woman, Lt. Lavine says "I called my rabbi and he said it was OK for me to wear pants rather than a skirt when I'm on emergency calls. After all, in Orthodox Jewry, helping people becomes really paramount."
"Andrea adds excitement to the firehouse and has become a mentor for many of the recruits," Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company President Tom Barrett said.
There are about 60 active volunteers in the company, responding to as many as 14,000 calls a year. That's one of the busiest in Baltimore County.
Lt. Lavine has been with the Pikesville volunteers since June 2005. She was named EMS provider of the year for 2007.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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