In a memo sent to her staff, Austin Fire's first female chief, Rhoda Kerr, has announced she will soon leave the department to take on a role in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Kerr told the Austin Fire Department staff Wednesday that she plans to retire July 1 to start her "new adventure as the new Fire Chief in Fort Lauderdale."
Kerr, a fourth-generation firefighter, joined AFD as its first female fire chief on Feb. 2, 2009. Among other accomplishments, in December 2016, President Barack Obama appointed Kerr to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, "where she serves alongside academic, public, and private experts who advise the sitting President on matters regarding the security of critical infrastructure and related information systems," according to a press release from AFD.