For the first time ever, a female leads the Rockville Centre Junior Fire Department.
“I’ve been surrounded by it my whole life,” Captain Erika Brancato, 17, said of firefighting. She made history when she was elected to the role last month after four years in the department, and was slated to be sworn in on Tuesday. But her involvement in the field started as a small child. Although the Brancatos live in Rockville Centre, her father, Robert, has been a member of the Baldwin Fire Department since 2003, acting as chief in 2013. Brancato recalled listening to her dad’s pager, riding with him on his fire truck — where she enjoyed pushing random buttons — and hanging out with him at the firehouse.