Dawn Carson, East Lansing’s First Woman Fire Chief, is More than Just a Trailblazer

After more than three years leading the fire department, Fire Chief Dawn Carson stepped down last month, ending a tenure that was marked by efforts to improve the mental and physical health of East Lansing firefighters.

Carson worked her way up the chain over a more than 30-year career at ELFD, eventually becoming the city’s first woman fire chief in 2021. Carson said she hopes she left the department in a better place.

“I love serving the public and love serving people, helping them, you know, making a difference where we can make a difference, helping people,” Carson said.

During her time leading the department, Carson prioritized employee mental and physical health. She explained that she pushed for the department to acquire new equipment to reduce the strain working as a firefighter will put on the body.

Having good equipment can extend the careers of firefighters. Carson explained that back injuries are the most common type of injury for firefighters, and for that reason, ELFD acquired auto-loading cots to reduce the possibility of harm. This way, responders don’t have to manually lift each patient into an ambulance. Rather, they push a button that loads the cot.

“That was something important I wanted to do,” Carson said.”It’s a wear-and-tear job, and we’re getting busier.”

Along with being physically taxing, working as a firefighter can take an emotional toll. Carson emphasized peer support groups during her time as chief, a resource she wishes were available when she first started.

“A lot of the stuff we see, we wish no one would ever have to see, and I think it just builds up, that type of thing, so peer support was a big thing my guys get,” Carson said.

She went on to explain that the support groups reach out to ELFD employees involved in especially difficult calls, and help facilitate resources, if necessary. The peer support groups are the first step in redefining how workers are supposed to handle trauma and breaking down the associated stigma.

“When I was hired on, you didn’t say anything,” Carson said. “It’s like with anything—you do your job, you push aside your emotions and feelings because this is what you have to do. I think we’re in a different culture right now, and people are more aware and want to do things about it faster and more timely than old-school people like me, who were just told to do it this way.”

East Lansing Fire Chief Dawn Carson was sworn in at City Council on Oct. 5, 2021, with her parents Harold and Karen Carson in attendance.

Attitudes about mental health have been evolving for years. One of Carson’s key achievements was ensuring that ELFD employees have resources to address the trauma that comes with being a firefighter.

Critically, the benefits from the support groups are built-in to ELFD’s infrastructure. When there are challenging or sensitive calls, support group members reach out because it can be difficult to ask for support. They will then check in, and remind emergency responders it’s okay to not be okay, and it’s okay if the job affects you emotionally.

“It was an evolution-type thing because I’m not out there seeing what they do,” Carson said. “So, I’m removed from what that is. I just have to be ready to try to support their needs and try to make things available to them or help them form groups, that type of thing, so they can have what they need to do their job the best.”

Today, there’s built-in support when there are challenging or sensitive calls because it can be difficult to reach out for support. Support group members reach out, check in, and remind emergency responders it’s okay to not be okay, and it’s okay if the job affects you emotionally.

Carson’s passion for firefighting started as a “hobby.”

While watching the 1970s drama series Emergency!, Carson was inspired by the Station 51 fire squad in Los Angeles. The TV program nudged her to explore a career filled with intense situations and opportunities to help people in need.

Before Carson built her career at ELFD, she earned a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine from Central Michigan University. While working as an athletic trainer, she completed EMT training, which ignited a passion for firefighting and emergency services.

“I got hooked. It was like that adrenaline rush, so I worked at Grand Ledge on the weekends,” Carson said. “It was like a hobby-type thing.”

Eager to do more, Carson began teaching EMT classes at Lansing Community College. She taught part-time, mainly night classes, since she was also working as an athletic trainer.

Carson completed her paramedic and fire training in the summer of 1993, and then she was officially hired by the East Lansing Fire Department in 1994 as a firefighter and paramedic.

“We are all hired as firefighters/paramedics. We have to be dual-trained to work here,” Carson explained.

She rose through the ranks from firefighter/paramedic to lieutenant, captain, deputy chief and, ultimately, fire chief.

Carson took on new responsibilities at every level. Firefighters have their boots on the ground. Lieutenants are similar, although the job includes more administrative responsibilities. Captains are in charge of the people on shift. The deputy chief is in charge of the city’s two fire stations. Finally, the chief has oversight of the entire operation.

Carson never planned to one day be chief. She was surprised when she was asked to step in as interim chief after her predecessor, Randy Talifarro, retired after 20 years of service.

East Lansing Fire Department truck responding to a fire alarm at a house in January 2019.

“It wasn’t my plan, but I’m like, ‘Oh, well, I had goals and aspirations for the department,’” Carson said.

Carson didn’t take the position as chief because she wanted to be the first woman to run the department. She credits the first woman to join the department as taking the brunt of breaking barriers.

“I would say that person broke the glass ceiling by coming,” Carson said. “It was a very good old boy system back when she got hired. It had to be around ‘83 or ‘84 at least when she started, if I had to guess.”

Some of the biggest takeaways Carson has gathered during her time in the department are that you’ve got to love what you do to stay in your job, and that a people-first approach is important.

With Carson’s focus on mental health, she hopes a support system to help the department chief is developed.

“You’re kind of alone up here,” she said. “That’s the one thing I would like to see more for people in this position: to have more of a support group.”

Prioritizing work for decades caught up with Carson, and retiring will offer time to explore her interests, and spend time with family.

“It’s time in my life to do family first, because I’ve put work first for over 30 years, and now I want to help my family,” she said.

Carson did highlight that people can have better work-life balance even with a demanding career; however, she often chose to prioritize work.

“I think you can choose to make good life balance decisions,” she said. “I did not. I put everything into this job, but that was just me. I’m sure some people can do better. I think it was always instilled that you just work, and you put your head down, and you keep going. It’s an old-school mentality, but it’s my father’s. So, that’s all good.

“I didn’t put a lot of time into my family, so I missed out on a lot of stuff. I’m just trying to catch up in the end and just trying to do things differently moving forward.”

Leaving the department was an emotional goodbye for Carson because she was separating from her second family of 30 years.

“When I told my people I was retiring, I said, ‘If it wasn’t for you guys, I wouldn’t have stayed,'” she said.

“Every person leaves their mark, hopefully makes things better. The next person will pick it up and take it further,” Carson continued. “I’m very blessed to have the opportunities that I’ve had here. It’s been a good ride—fun, with highs and lows. But we’ve done it well, and we’ve done it together.”