The very first woman to serve as a firefighter with the St. John’s Regional Fire Department says she’s had a great career.

Captain Gina Burke is retiring after 34 years as an emergency responder.

She was hired at the Mount Pearl station back in 1992 and says while she received a lot of support from the men she worked with, it was also a challenge.

Over the years she’s helped to mentor other young women starting a firefighting career and give them the same support she received.

“Everybody supported me throughout the whole role, a lot of people took me under their wing, so I think as people came in, especially the girls, I wanted to do the same for them.”

“I wanted them to feel that they chose the right profession, and that they were accepted and that…they were working with a great bunch of people.”