Ending the harassment, discrimination, and abuse of fire fighters is a collective responsibility.
Join us as we discuss the skewed professional archetype of the role of firefighters and develop ways to hold the the profession accountable in its mission to achieve inclusivity of all races, genders, and sexualities.
The panel will include Battalion Chief Kris Larson, Los Angeles Fire Department, Captain Lauren Andrade, Orange County Fire Authority and moderator Los Angeles Fire Department Commissioner Rebecca Ninburg.
Speaker Bios
Kris Larson, Battalion Chief, Los Angeles Fire Department
Chief Larson is a 31 year veteran of the Los Angeles City Fire Department and currently holds the rank of Battalion Chief. She was the first African American woman promoted to the rank of Captain I, Captain II and Battalion Chief in the Department's history. Chief Larson holds a BA from UCLA in Sociology and a Master's in Public Service Leadership with an emphasis in Emergency Management from Capella University. She current serves as president of Los Angeles Women in the fire service and Vice President on the Board of Camp Blaze. In her current role, she is in charge of recruitment and youth programs for LAFD.
Lauren Andrade, Captain, Orange County Fire Authority
Captain Lauren Andrade is a native San Diegan where she currently resides with her two young sons. Captain Andrade was a division 1 collegiate basketball player at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where she graduated with a BA in English. Her career started in the fire service at Poway Fire Department in San Diego County. In 2008, she was hired by Orange County Fire Authority as a Firefighter/Paramedic. Captain Andrade began her work as an advocate for change after she had given birth to her son Luke. Upon returning to work, she realized that her department was out of compliance and had no lactation accommodations in addition to not having adequate women’s restroom facilities in all stations. The 4 four years Captain Andrade has collaborated with ACLU SoCal to ensure proper restroom facilities and lactation accommodations in all of OCFA’s fire stations. She continues to advocate for fairness in policy, practice and procedure within her department as well as other departments within the region
Rebecca Ninburg, Fire Commissioner, City of Los Angeles
Rebecca Ninburg has been serving as a Fire Commissioner for the city of LA since 2015. In this role, she has worked extensively to improve the recruitment and retention of diverse candidates, specifically women, by leading multiple strategic planning sessions with the women of the LAFD and offering policy recommendations to improve recruitment and address the systemic racism, sexism, discrimination and that have plagued the department. Most recently, Rebecca has helped establish the Women’s Fire Alliance, a cross-agency organization for female firefighters dedicated to improving the recruitment, retention and promotion of females in the fire service in Southern California. Rebecca is a Co-Founder of the Los Angeles Derby Dolls and served as its CEO for 12 years. Prior to that work, Rebecca was a member of the sculptor’s union, local 755, and worked in the motion picture industry for over a decade. She received her bachelor's degree from UCLA in Fine Art.