This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Sandy • Firefighter Annette Woodhead made history in this south-valley city by doing what few women in her predominately male profession do: Make third in command.

The Sandy Fire Department has named Woodhead battalion chief, making her the city's highest-ranking female firefighter ever and one of only two women in that capacity in the Salt Lake Valley.

"She has done nothing more than earn her way," Fire Chief Don Rosenkrantz said. "She went through the testing process, prepared herself and just outdid the other folks. It is just that simple."

And yet, it's a rare achievement. The state's largest fire department — the Unified Fire Authority — has never had a female battalion chief. And Utah's most populous county previously had only one: Salt Lake City Fire Marshal Martha Ellis.

"It is a great testimony to her [Woodhead] and her hard work in getting promoted," UFA Chief Michael Jensen said. "As a chief, I'm excited to see there are women who are cracking into the ranks of the chief officer corps. It is a huge accomplishment."

Woodhead, who joined the Sandy Fire Department as a volunteer in 1993 and lists sky diving, weight lifting and yoga among her pastimes, downplayed the significance of her promotion.

"All the people who are battalion chiefs in this state have worked hard to get there," said Woodhead recently, so fresh from responding to a basement blaze that her clothes still smelled of smoke. "They have all trained hard. They have all educated themselves. They have all done what it takes. It just so happens that I am female."

Woodhead, 45, didn't grow up dreaming of becoming a firefighter. Instead, Woodhead wanted to become a commercial airline pilot. She got her pilot's license and earned a bachelor's degree in geography from the University of Utah. But job prospects in the airline industry weren't grand. So Woodhead found herself working full time for UPS.

There, she learned a valuable lesson: "Money isn't everything," she said. "You have to like your job."

So Woodhead quit her UPS gig and moved into firefighting, a profession that turned out to be just as fun as it sounded.

"Everything that we do is to help people," Woodhead said. "That is what it is about. It is very rewarding to know that you are doing that."

After 17 years with the Sandy Fire Department, Woodhead was promoted to battalion chief late last year, filling a position that ranks third on the command ladder. She now oversees more than 20 firefighters.

This isn't the first time Woodhead has made city history. It happened in the 1990s, as well, when Woodhead became Sandy's first full-time female firefighter. Although she remembers some of the male firefighters being leery of her hire, Woodhead said she quickly became "just part of the crew."

Rosenkrantz described Woodhead as competitive, honest and hard-working. He said his pick of her as battalion chief was gender-blind.

"When we went through the selection process, it didn't matter to me, male or female," he said. "I needed the very best person to help me lead this department down the right road."

jstettler@sltrib.com Twitter: Stettler_Trib —

Annette Woodhead

Age: 45

Hometown: Sandy

Education: Bachelor's degree in geography from the University of Utah

Occupation: Battalion chief for the Sandy Fire Department

Fun fact: She has a pilot's license and once made 500-plus parachute jumps annually. She now sky-dives about 10 times a year.