Ninetta Violante

As Decatur Fire Department Support Service Captain, Ninetta Violante fights fires and stereotypes. “When I started it was difficult. I had to prove myself because of my gender. Today our department is very open and accepting. I think we’re ahead of the game compared to what’s occurring nationally and internationally.”

Captain Ninetta Violante joined the Decatur Fire Department in 2001. She arrived at this post by a circuitous route. Because of a strong desire to help others she had sought to work on the AIDS campaign in California, but couldn’t land a job, so traveled to Africa and worked as a volunteer. From there she came to Atlanta to enroll in the Master’s Program in Public Health at Emory. To shore up her finances she enrolled with a temp agency that referred her to a job in the Decatur City Hall. While there the staff questioned Ninetta about her aspirations. Then they asked, “Would you like to become a firefighter?”

“I had gone through boot camp, I had been a personal trainer, and I am an athlete. I have always wanted to save people. And here they were, ‘you should be a firefighter!’ I had never considered that. Then I got really excited. I was so scared because I thought it was a really good fit and thought, what if I don’t get it? But here I am.”

“When I started it was difficult because I was 5’2”, 125 pounds, and female. I was also unsure about letting them know about my sexual preference. I’ve always been okay in male-dominated scenarios, whether it was the military or just growing up participating in athletics. Often I was the only female on a team. But at the fire department, I had to prove myself. It was probably the first time where I wasn’t accepted by some because of my gender. It was hard. It took about three years before I gained the trust and respect of all the firefighters. Today, our department is very open and accepting. If I didn’t work for the City of Decatur, I don’t know if I would work for a different department. I think we’re ahead of the game compared to what’s occurring nationally and internationally.”