Austin names first female fire chief

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The Austin City Council Thursday morning named the city's first female fire chief. The council hired Rhoda Mae Kerr by a unanimous vote.

Kerr will leave Little Rock, Ark., where she served since January 2004. Previously, she served a 20 year career with the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., fire department. She left the department as Deputy Chief.

Kerr will take over for interim chief Jim Evans. Evans took over the department after Chief J.J. Adame resigned in May. She will also take over for a department that has come under scrutiny recently for its progress on female restroom accommodations in its fire stations across town.

Currently only 20 of Austin's 45 fire stations have restroom facilities for both men and women. The Department has only built six new equal facilities since the project started in 1999. AFD is in the process of building five new facilities and designing six more.

The city will pay Kerr $160,000 a year. She will start in February.