New Chaffee firefighter makes history

CHAFFEE, Mo. — Chaffee's newest firefighter, Madelynn Mosley, is the youngest volunteer at just about a month away from 19 years old and is the first woman in the role in the department's history.

"The fact that I'm here is kind of enough for me, but obviously I want to prove that I'm here for a reason," Mosley said when asked what she wants to accomplish in her time with the Chaffee Fire Department. "I don't want to just be here and be done with it. I want to get into some of my classes, and I hope to eventually go on and get into certified. I want to build the skills. I want to keep going with this career path."

Mosley is a Chaffee native who graduated from Chaffee High School in 2020. Around that time, she wasn't sure what she wanted to do after graduation, but when Mosley got a call from a military recruiter, she expressed her interest in working as a first-responder. From that interest, she was set up to follow a path to become a master-at-arms, a role similar to police work.

Mosley said the pandemic complicated lots of the process and delayed her entry into boot camp, but once she was finally there, she realized it wasn't for her.

"While I was at boot camp, I realized maybe military isn't for me," she said. "Like, I loved being there, and I loved the experience — that's something I'll never regret doing — but, I just felt like it wasn't what I wanted anymore. But seeing — just getting to experience that firsthand — I was like, it made me have a newfound respect for the military. Just people who put their lives on the line every day."

Chaffee, Missouri's newest firefighter, Madelynn Mosley, zips up her protective jacket Wednesday at the Chaffee Fire Department.Sarah Yenesel

What ultimately prevented her from entering the military was the final fitness test. She said she passed the first two parts, but didn't pass the run. She tried again a few days after and improved, but didn't pass. It caused her to re-do most of her training, including the firefighting portion, which she really enjoyed.

"And so, I was kind of like, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I didn't end up here — if I failed again. Like, obviously, I wanted it. I just was trying to look on the brighter side in case I didn't make it," Mosley said.

She tried again and passed the first portions of the fitness test, but just barely missed passing the run.

With that, Mosley returned home and said with the encouragement and support of her father, she applied to the Chaffee Fire Department.

Chaffee Fire Chief Sam Glency said Mosely's enthusiasm was evident.

"I can kind of tell right off if somebody's just doing this to put up, as the saying goes, put a blue light and siren in their car and look cool, or to be a fireman. And that's what I got from her. She wanted to be a fireman," Glency said about his impression of Mosley after her interview.

According to Glency, the department does not see many newcomers and not many young people apply, either. He acknowledged this is not just a local problem, it's been seen nationwide.

The department currently has a staff of 13. The whole department consists of volunteers who are on call 24/7 to serve within Chaffee's city limits. In the about 12 years Glency has been chief, he has only had a full roster of 20 firefighters for about six months, once.

While Glency was happy to receive an application, he was also happy to see Mosley's since she is a young, qualified person, he said.

After passing the interview process, she was officially approved by the Chaffee City Council, as is custom.

The next step is for her to complete training to get certification. Glency said she has a year to complete multiple classes on firefighting basics and specialized areas. While doing that, she is responding to calls and helps out however she can.

As the first female firefighter in the Chaffee department, Mosley said she was excited by the prospect of being the first.

Nationwide, there are very few female firefighters. The National Fire Protection Association published its U.S. Fire Department Profile in early 2020 on various statistics of the profession in 2018. It found 93,700, or 8%, of all firefighters were women.

Glency said he hopes younger girls will see Mosley and look up to her. While she also hopes for that, Mosley initially felt pressured by the prospect. What ultimately made her apply despite that feeling was the confidence she gained at boot camp.

"Because I think I definitely learned in boot camp that I'm a lot more capable of things than I thought I was," Mosley said. "And so I like how I was molded in boot camp. I think that without that experience, I wouldn't have had the courage to apply or to be here."