By Maya Reid
Old Dominion University aluma, Donna Brehm, graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, but her love for science and a Navy man changed the trajectory of her life. From being the first woman Deputy Fire Chief for the city of Virginia Beach to owning her own business, Brehm has done it all while inspiring her community.
"I fell in love with a Navy man stationed in Hampton Roads, and we got married that summer and I worked/studied to complete my degree," said Donna Brehm. Originally a student at Bucknell University, Brehm followed her heart and moved to Hampton Roads where she was able to transfer and continue her degree in Biology at Old Dominion University.
During her last two years of studies at ODU, Brehm began volunteering at the Thalia Volunteer Fire Station in Virginia Beach. "I fell in love with the profession," said Brehm. Because she was an active high school athelete, she could easily meet the physical challenges of firefighting. "However, I was not readily accepted as a woman but just kept showing up and participating in drills and training sessions."
"At that time, Virginia Beach had about 75 paid firefighters and I made the decision I wanted to be one," said Brehm. In the summer of 1978, Brehm was hired as the first female firefighter in Virginia Beach.
She quickly realized how much each of the areas of science helped her to become the first woman firefighter in Virginia Beach. "I can't tell you how much my education helped me progress through rookie school," said Brehm. "Chemistry supported hazardous materials and fire behavior classes, Biology helped me through emergency medical training, and Physics helped support my understanding of hydraulics and mechanics."
During the next 35 years of her career, Brehm was promoted to Lieutenant, Captain, Battalion Chief, District Chief and lastly, Deputy Chief. "Over those years, I earned my MPA from Golden Gate University, had two children, served on a number of national fire service boards, wrote a few fire service articles, and spoke to hundreds of young women about non-traditional roles for women," explained Brehm.
Brehm retired from the fire department in 2009 and decided to continue her journey as a consultant in the field of emergency management training and exercises. "After September 11, 2001 I became significantly engaged in Virginia Beach's post-event response and recovery efforts to the event" said Brehm. "The areas of planning, preparing and training for significant natural and man-made events captured my attention and energy". During this time the emergency management team was extremely small, which encouraged Brehm to immediately dive in to assist in grant planning and management as well as response coordination and hiring additional staff. Brehm's dedication led to the development of a new Citizens' Emergency Response Team initiative.
Brehm's experience in emergency management encouraged her to create her own business, FusionEX LLC which was established in 2014. The company specializes in emergency management training and exercises, working closely with clients to develop exercises to test their emergency disaster response plans. The goal is to find processes that work well as well as opportunities to improve processes that would benefit from refinement on a large scale. Recently Brehm has been assisting agencies to evaluate their response to COVID-19 in the same manner.
Brehm strives to set an example for young women in STEM today. "The growth of the STEM academies and special programs for young women has increased significantly" said Brehm. Her undeniable success all began with dedication and a science degree. "Everything I learned at ODU supported my success. Whether it be literary skills, biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, mathematics, computer sciences, or physics there was always an element of sciences in nearly every aspect of the fire service" said Brehm.
Helping others continues to be at the forefront of her life. Brehm manages the food pantry for her church. She has dedicated herself to serve those in need and continues to support them throughout the COVID- 19 pandemic while still implementing all required CDC protocols.
Whether those in need of help in the community or the next generation of the STEM leaders, Brehm continues to answer the call to serve. If a student likes "logical processes, appreciates the miracle of discovering chemical reactions to create new and exciting substances, and the opportunities to be part of a field of study that develops solutions to many of today's scientific challenges as well as exploring new worlds," said Brehm, she encourages future scientists to pursue their passion.