Two St. Lucie County Fire District deputies were promoted to assistant fire chiefs last week.
One of the new assistant fire chiefs is Marti Newport, who is the first woman in the agency to rise to that role. In 2017, Newport was promoted to the position of deputy chief, where she also was the first woman in the agency's history to achieve that rank.
"It's important for me to set the example so that if there's anyone that wants to achieve what I've been working hard to achieve, they can do it, too," Newport said. "They just have to believe in themselves and keep pushing forward." There are 27 female firefighters with the St. Lucie County Fire District, four of them officers and two are chief officers. Going forward, Newport said one day she would like to become fire chief.