Shreveport fire captain inspired many

BY MARY NASH-WOOD • MWOOD2@GANNETT.COM • MAY 28, 2010

When Deborah Mims reported for her first day of training at the Shreveport Fire Academy
in February 1981, her fellow recruits knew there was something special about the single
mother of three standing beside them.

As the first female firefighter hired by the Shreveport Fire Department, Mims had a lot to
prove. Firefighting was a man's world and Mims was on a mission to prove she could do
everything a man could do and more.

"I think the guys in the class understood the significance of what Deborah was trying to do.
She was a trailblazer," said former Shreveport Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran, who shared a
recruiting class with Mims. "I can't imagine the weight on her shoulders being the first fire
recruit. She worked hard, though, and established a tone for the years ahead."

Mims, who went on to be the city's first female fire captain, died last week after a lengthy
battle with cancer. Funeral services will be held Saturday at New Testament United
Pentecostal Church, 4400 Fairy St., Shreveport.

She leaves behinds three children, 14 grandchildren and a loving husband of 23 years who
still cannot grasp life without his "princess."

"The days aren't too bad, but it's the nights when I miss her most. I can't sleep. I walk
around and can't believe she's gone," Gregory Mims said.

Mims said he misses his wife's smile most of all.

"My wife had a smile that could light up a room. When people remember Deborah, I want
them to remember her smile and her zest for life," Mims said. "Wherever she went, you
were going to remember that smile. Even if someone didn't remember her name, they
remembered that smile." 

Shreveport Fire Captain Deborah Mills said her close friend was both a pioneer and an
inspiration. "I can't imagine the courage it must have taken to step into what was a man's
world at the time and do what she did," Mills said. "She broke the barrier in a lot of ways."

Currently the department employs 44 females, roughly 8 percent of its 575 employees, but
it all started with one.

"She paved the way for me and other women to be where we are and know we can do this
job," Mills said.

And she did it all with a smile.