WHITEHALL, Ohio — The first female firefighter to retire from the Whitehall Division of Fire said goodbye to her coworkers Thursday.
A celebration was held for Stephanie Reed who, after 25 years of service at the Whitehall Division of Fire, is calling it a career.
Reed said one of the highlights of her career is that she delivered six babies.
On her final day, she was surrounded by her friends, family and colleagues as she bid farewell to this chapter of her life.
"The decision to retire has been a difficult one, but it's time to start the next chapter. I want to thank everyone at the Whitehall fire and police departments. It was an honor working beside you all these years. You truly are the best around," Reed said in her speech to the crowd.
Reed described it as an emotional rollercoaster, saying that she's happy to be moving on but is sad to be leaving this part of her life behind.
She said she will miss the firehouse family and getting to serve the community.
“I'm going to miss the guys the most. Being in the firehouse, the comradery, the brotherhood. You hear that thrown around a lot in the fire and police service. Here I feel like it is really true. We have helped each other through some of the best and worst times in our lives. I will miss that aspect of it the most,” Reed said.
For any woman wanting to become a first responder, Reed emphatically encourages them to do it.
"It is one of the most rewarding things I could have probably ever chosen to do in my life. It's hard, it's very difficult so you have to be prepared for that. But it is fabulous," Reed said.
Reed will be going back to school to become a nurse.