There's a new firefighter in White Rock, and it's a historic first.
Emily Latrace has been hired as the seaside city's first female career firefighter.
Growing up in a family with a heavy first responder background, Latrace said she always knew she wanted to go the first responder route.
"In high school, I was thinking policing or firefighting, and I ended up going with firefighting and following my Dad's footsteps," the 24-year-old said, noting her father is a Coquitlam firefighter.
Latrace grew up in Richmond and moved to White Rock in 2020.
She attended the Justice Institute of B.C. and worked in retail and inventory with the Vancouver Police Department before earning her 1001 firefighting certification in 2022 and quickly started as a paid, on-call firefighter in White Rock in April of 2023.
An avid softball player still, she played it competitively growing up, even playing for a college team one year.
So far, she's enjoying her job.
"I love it. I love the camaraderie, I love the teamwork — everyone is super helpful and encouraging, and I just love being in that strong team environment."
White Rock deputy fire chief Michael Passas said having a female career firefighter is a "great asset to the department."
"Hopefully Emily likes fantasy football and hard work," he said Wednesday (Nov. 27). "I really don't think it changes the dynamic... I think our membership — our union membership — is ready for the change. I think it will be a positive one."
Latrace had been a paid, on-call member with the department for more than a year before being hired full time, Passas added.
"She's proven herself, she's worked really hard, she's shown development over the last year-and-a-half to earn this position, so I think she's well deserving of it. She's worked for it."
In the past 20 years, the White Rock fire department has hired, on average, just under one person per year, so getting hired full-time has been extremely competitive for male and female firefighters, but especially females, as there are always far more applications from males, he noted.
Latrace knows that physically, she is smaller than many of her colleagues, but is prepared for the physical challenges of the job, and has been working to make the transition from on-call to full time as seamless as possible.
"I'm thankful to be part of the White Rock fire department. I'm also thankful to be hired with Erik Maas — he's been a great partner during this entire process, through the training and everything, and I'm excited to continue on my career (path) with him."
White Rock Mayor Megan Knight said the hire is a milestone she has been advocating for, now realized.
"We’re thrilled to welcome Emily as White Rock’s first female firefighter," she said. "Her journey from auxiliary firefighter to this achievement is inspiring, setting a powerful example for future generations of young women. We look forward to the incredible contributions she will bring to White Rock Fire Rescue and our community."
