East Haven- East Haven's only female firefighter was sworn in as the town's first female Battalion chief on Oct. 3.
Eileen Parlato was named one of East Haven Fire Department's four Battalion Chiefs, taking over the position vacated when Stephen Jackson was promoted to Chief earlier this year.
"I am a liaison between the office and the firefighters," said Parlato. "I pass on what the chief wants us to do."
Parlato has served on the East Haven Fire Department for 12 years. Before that she served as a volunteer firefighter in town for two years and attended EMT school. She was one of four candidates to take the written and oral sections of the battalion chiefs' test, scoring highest among the candidates. As a battalion chief, Parlato is responsible for a crew of 10 firefighters, supervising their activities at the scene of fires and in their day-to-day performance.
"I have worked here for almost 12 years so it is a pretty easy transition. I know all the guys and they know me so everything is good," said Parlato.
Parlato was sworn in on Oct. 3 by Mayor Joseph Maturo.
“I think that she is only the third female battalion chief in the state, which is great, but I want to reiterate that she was not picked because of her gender,” said Maturo, a former firefighter. “Eileen has 12 years of experience on the department. She had outstanding scores on all her exams and she is an experienced EMT.
“Although it is great to break another barrier in the town, it is even better to know that we have the most qualified person in a very important position,” Maturo continued.