LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — 20 years ago, a Lexington firefighter died in the line of duty. Lieutenant Brenda Cowan was the city's first African-American female firefighter.
On Tuesday, firefighters held a wreath-laying ceremony at Phoenix Park in front of the Fallen Firefighters Monument.
Firefighters placed a red wreath beneath the monument to remember Cowan's service. Brenda Cowan's name is still the most recent name on this list of fallen firefighters, marking her death in 2004.
Fire chief Jason Wells spoke to the group gathered along Main Street Tuesday morning. He reflected on the type of firefighter and person Brenda Cowan was.
"She was an individual who always put service above self, and just that incredibly brilliant smile and that unskakeable optimism made us all want to be better people," Chief Wells said.
In 1992, she joined the Lexington Fire Department, the first Black woman in the department. She eventually was promoted to a Lieutenant ranking as well.
In 2004, she was responding to a domestic violence call at a home when she and her fellow firefighters were shot at. Cowan was shot and killed.
In addition to her service as a firefighter, she was involved in programs that helped children in our community.
Her line-of-duty death prompted changes in how the fire department responded to calls in which violence was a potential threat.
