CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — For Black History Month, KRIS 6 News is highlighting the incredible accomplishments of several African-Americans from the Coastal Bend who have pushed and broke barriers, for the better. One of those people is Deborah Johnson. She is the first Black female firefighter in Corpus Christi's history.
Johnson was born in Cameron, Texas in 1952 and moved to Waco when she was 10 years old. When she was 23 her brother convinced her to down up to Corpus Christi with him.
She was working as a secretary, until a firefighter sarcastically told her the fire department is hiring. To be hired she needed to pass a background check, pass a civil service test and agility test.
Feeling challenged, Johnson trained for 10 months, joined a gym, running six miles a day and flipped tires. She passed her tests and became a firefighter trainee.
“Training was interesting, it was 10 guys and me. And, only one of them was nice, "Shorty," he was my size,” she said.
Johnson persevered and became a Corpus Christi firefighter.
“The first four or five years was the hardest because the guys were mean,” she said. "I was the only female at any station I was at.”
Johnson loved what she did. She took pride in being able to get the job done and made sure the guys could never criticize her for not doing the job well.
She appreciated that because of all the gear, many of the guys didn't know she was a woman when they were on the trucks.
"Can do my own job," she said. "I prepared myself to do my own job. Stayed in the gym five days a week."
Johnson would move from fire station to fire station throughout her career, working at every station that was in existence during her time as a firefighter.
“I think the isolation was the hardest part of the first three years because the stations were not designed for women," she said. "So, when I came to old number six, they had put a locker between me and the guys and it was one restroom.”
She not only faced discrimination for being a woman, but for being a Black woman as well. Johnson always stood her ground. She recalls laying down ground rules at one fire house to avoid conflicts.
"Don't tell me no dirty jokes, I won't tell you no, I won't talk to you about Jesus. Don't tell me anything racial and the guys knew that right off the bat," Johnson said.
For over 29 years, she rode the rollercoaster of not just being one of the first women firefighters in Corpus Christi, she was the first Black female firefighter.
Then, last year, a fire chief from Austin reached out Johnson. He told her Austin thought they had the first Black female fighter in the state in 1979. Johnson began her career in 1977 and was told that makes her the first Black female firefighter in the state of Texas. That’s when it sunk in for her.
“They were trying to correct it. So, they invited me to their gala and just to hear those people talk about their accomplishments, I thought oh my God, that’s special,” Johnson said.
Johnson's time as a firefighter wasn’t all bad. Johnson had advocates looking out for her if someone tried to start trouble. As time went on, it get better for her within the department, as well. When the 90’s rolled in, more younger guys joined the department, bringing in a new mentality.
"You have a bunch of old guys, you're invading their territory. You know, woman can't do this, they can't do that. But, as the younger guys came...when you got guys 20, 25 they got a different mindset," she said.
One of those younger guys was her son Dwight Johnson who joined the department in 1990. Being around the fire house growing up he took an interest in firefighting. He also took part in the Fire Explorers Program, getting a hands-on experience in high school.
“She wanted me to go to college and become an engineer or something like that," Dwight said, now a fire inspector for Corpus Christi Fire Department. "She came in a tough time, in the department, especially she being a black person and on top of that being a female black person. So, it was really tough some things she went through.”
Deborah didn't want Dwight to follow in her footsteps originally.
“Oh no "Bubs," stay in school. No, don't do that, it's not what you think..." she said. "The department was prejudice, it was racist, it was good ol’ boy. It was like, uh huh, I can deal with this I just don’t want you to have to go through that.”
Dwight said discrimination was out there and everywhere. It wasn’t going to stop him.
“She instilled in me and my sister and my brother that you want to do something, you got to go get it. They not going to give it to you. So, that’s how I was raised,” Dwight said.
Like his mother, Dwight was on the trucks as a firefighter and paramedic, but eventually moved into other roles. As he's been through his career, he's seen the department change, seeing more women take on responsibility in the fire department
His mother definitely left an impression on him to want to be a firefighter, but he gained new respect for what she accomplished, in the time period she did it.
“Everybody wants to be a firefighter. It’s not until you get the job, and you start doing the job, it’s like wow, my mom’s one tough cookie,” he said.
Towards the end of Deborah's career, her and Dwight actually worked together at the same fire station four, but on different shifts. Deborah said at that time, they were one of two mother and son combos to work in a fire department together in the U.S.
"My crew was a bunch of jokesters," Dwight said. "So, they always had this joke, "Y'all clean up behind yourself, your mama don't work here, except you Dwight, your mama works here." That was a running joke. And then, it was always, "Don't make me tell your mama!"
Deborah retired in 2006 after being injured during a Flour Bluff brush fire. She was the first woman in Corpus Christi to have a service retirement.
"I always liked being the nozzle person. It's hot, but it's fun," she said.
She said a volunteer fireman was helping her while she held the nozzle of the hose above her head. The volunteer pulled back and she ended up injuring her back with two herniated discs.
She said it took a few months to transition to civilian life.
"The first two years was difficult because I would hear the sirens or I would, the first five months, would jump up," Deborah said. "Because I'm thinking, oh Lord I missed the call! And, my husband would say, "Girl!"
While she's been retired for almost 20 years now, Johnson said she is still making an impact of Corpus Christi. She’s still involved with the firefighters union, as well as the retired firefighters union. She’s been a court appointed special advocate for 15 years, helping many children.
All this and she still enjoys time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Deborah's husband retired last April from his career field, so they’ve decided they’re going to move back to Deborah’s hometown of Waco. But we should all be on the look out as she plans to write a book about her time as a firefighter because she said she has many more stories to tell.
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