For Teresa Ann Crisman, firefighting is a family affair. Her brothers and father are firefighters, as well as her maternal grandfather and a great-uncle.
Her parents met at a firefighters convention, and her mother went on to become the president of the Maryland State Firemen’s Association Ladies Auxiliary.
On June 21, 21 years after her mother took that position, she accepted it for herself.
“Like my brothers followed my father, I followed my mom,” she said.
She currently works as community developer and fire inspector for the Prince George’s County fire department, and loves working as a civilian.
“The whole fire service, to me, is like a family,” she said.
“Somebody told me that I spent too much time down here, and I was like, ‘How else am I supposed to see my family?’ ”
As the new president of the auxiliary, she will lead the group’s fundraising efforts. One of its biggest projects is the Bessie Marshall Fund, a collection for firemen injured outside of duty. Since they don’t receive workers’ compensation, the fund helps support them when they cannot work. Last year, 37 people received a total of $54,000 from the fund.
Crisman said she plans to repeat a successful event from last year: a scrapbooking fundraiser. She and her cousin coordinated the event, which raised $300 for the auxiliary.
The auxiliary also supports the Maryland State Firemen’s Association and does legislative work.
One of Crisman’s top priorities is to change a law that allows novelty lighters in Maryland. They mimic toys (some are shaped like cars) and aren’t built with child-resistant locks.
She said she loves doing work that helps those in her community.
“I would not trade this life for anything,” she said.
