Deputy Chief Karen Hunter is retiring at the end of this month after a distinguished, 34-year barrier-shattering career.
She started in the fire service as a volunteer with the Apopka Fire Department in 1985 and was the first female firefighter/ emergency medical technician hired by the Ocoee Fire Department later that year. She was the only female candidate in her firefighter classes at Seminole Community College. In 1986, she started as a firefighter/ paramedic for the city of Kissimmee.
She came to Kissimmee for the larger medical ambulance operations.
“The Kissimmee and St. Cloud Fire Departments ran a joint ambulance service for Osceola County in those days,” Hunter recalled.
She remembered several occasions on distant calls to remote parts of the county how a helicopter ambulance would be dispatched from Orlando, fly past them on the way to the scene, and then pass them going the other way.
“I have always been attracted to the medical field,” Hunter said, “but not in an office environment”.
She continued serving in progressively more challenging assignments and was promoted to lieutenant in 1995. She achieved her current position as deputy chief for health and safety in 1999, the first female deputy chief in the Kissimmee Fire Department.
According to Kissimmee Fire Chief James Walls: “As KFD’s first female chief officer, Karen has been a role model for the women in our department as well as those considering a career in the fire service.”
She oversaw the Health and Safety Division, which includes all Emergency Medical Services activities and the maintenance and provisioning of the city’s fleet of firefighting vehicles and ambulances. In addition, she ensured the suitability of each piece of equipment and vehicle for the EMTs/ firefighters, as part of the Department’s Apparatus Committee. This has been a particular challenge with the increasing height of structures in the city limits.
Given her responsibilities for the medical readiness of the department, Hunter was in a critical position for the various public health issues over the years, such as the AIDS epidemic, anthrax scares after 9/11, and the current COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, the responses to the 1998 tornadoes and the three hurricanes in 2004 also stand out during her time of service to the community.
Despite her full slate of duties at Kissimmee, Hunter always made time to serve the greater regional firefighter/EMT community as an active member and officer for several regional and state organizations.
“Her service as our liaison on regional and state committees means she has definitely left her mark in the Central Florida fire service!” Walls said.
In her retirement, Hunter plans to catch up on craft projects, travel and spend time with her family. Lt. Eric Gentry is being promoted into Hunter’s position. Gentry was the city of Kissimmee’s Employee of the Month for July 2020, selected for his work during the COVID-19 pandemic and involvement with the construction of the new fire training tower.
