New York Fire Department Gets 1st Female, Gay Chaplain

NEW YORK (AP) — The Fire Department of New York has sworn in its first female and first openly gay chaplain.

The Rev. Ann Kansfield was sworn in on Tuesday. She is the department’s eighth chaplain. Six others are Christian and one is Jewish.

Kansfield is a pastor at Greenpoint Reformed Church in Brooklyn.

The duties of FDNY chaplains include providing counseling to firefighters and department personnel and performing blessings and invocations. They work part time.

Kansfield tells The New York Times ( http://nyti.ms/1M4ASzb ) it would be great if she can be part of the effort to diversity the FDNY.