To pay for college, Stringer worked on a fishing boat in Alaska.
It’s this formative experience, Stringer says, that directly led to the adventure she’s spent the last 11 years pursuing in Tacoma, what she calls her “dream job.” She is the second-most senior fire boat pilot for the Tacoma Fire Department, meaning she’s one of just five firefighters capable of captaining Tacoma Fire’s two primary response boats — the Destiny and the Defiance.
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Stringer also is the first — and only — female to hold the position in the long history of Tacoma’s marine division, which dates back to the 1930s, and one of only a handful of female pilots across the country.
Come January, Stringer will move on to her next adventure.