Sara Boone, a 24-year veteran of the Portland Fire & Rescue Bureau, has been appointed chief by Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty.
Boone rose through the ranks, from entry-level firefighter, emergency operations, safety chief to her latest assignment as division chief of medical services and training.
“Chief Boone impressed our interview panels with her commitment to community, her technical knowledge, her passion for the fire service, and her leadership style,” Hardesty said in a prepared statement. “Chief Boone is well-respected throughout the bureau and we have a great collaborative relationship."
Boone was the first African-American woman to become a Portland firefighter, and now will be the first African-American woman to head the bureau.
She was raised in Northeast Portland attending Lincoln High School and was all-state and all-American in track and field. She graduated from Boise State University with a bachelor of science in secondary education.
Boone became a firefighter after a chance encounter with a fire inspector who told her about the bureau's apprenticeship program.
“My mission has always been caring for the city where I was raised," Boone said.