Capt. Felicia Barnes makes Fairfax County history. She’s been promoted to battalion chief with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, becoming the first Black woman to hold that position.
Fairfax Fire Chief John Butler announced her promotion Tuesday.
Barnes worked as a Fairfax County police officer before graduating from the fire academy in 2002 and working her way up the ranks over the last 21-plus years.
She served as a firefighter in Fairview at Fire Station 32 and in Merrifield at Fire Station 30. After that, she transferred to the Fire and Rescue Training Academy, where she trained recruits. She received a promotion to lieutenant in 2008 and worked in communications.
Once she earned the rank of captain, Barnes worked in the 911 dispatch center as as captain of the Fire Prevention Section.
Her promotion to battalion chief isn’t to the first time she’s made history in the department. In 2020, she was named the department’s first Black female Safety Officer.
She most recently worked overnights at Fire Station 37 in Kingstowne. That station is the first in Fairfax County to have all three shifts led by women who are captains.
Feature image courtesy Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department
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