Rev. Pamela Holmes ’89 Becomes First Black Woman to Serve as New York City Fire Department Chaplain

Courtesy of Rev. Pamela Holmes ’89

On March 7, 2024, Rev. Pamela Holmes ‘89 was sworn in as the newest New York City Fire Department fire chaplain. In doing so, Holmes became the first black woman and second woman ever to serve as fire chaplain. While a monumental achievement, Holmes never intended to be a history maker. “I applied for the job because I thought it was something that was important and something that I’d love to do without knowing how impactful my securing the job would really be,” said Holmes. “I applied for the position not knowing if I’d get it and what it was really because I had no clue that they’d never had an African American chaplain.”

Holmes, a Government major and American History minor, attended a small high school in Manhattan and knew she wanted to attend a smaller school in college. She was attracted to Connecticut College due to the community she felt. “I came to Conn for a minority pre-freshman weekend and I felt a real sense of community from the onset,” said Holmes. “I felt welcome [at Conn] along with the financial support given, as it felt like this is a place that is willing to invest in me and a place where I could feel comfortable.”

At Conn, Holmes was involved in Umoja, SOAR (Students Organize Against Racism), and SGA. In particular, Umoja, the name of the black student union at the time, had a meaningful impact on Holmes. “There were 10 African Americans in my class but I was able to find a real community through Umoja,” said Holmes. “I think being involved in Umoja and spending time at Unity House was really good, giving me the support I needed to be successful [at the College].”

Attending the College had a great impact on Holmes, who felt that the college was like the real world to her. “I always felt like Conn was a real microcosm of what the world would look like, working with people who don’t look like you and [people who don’t ] have the same political views as you,” said Holmes. “Being at Conn I learned a lot about diversity and the lack thereof and how to navigate with different people who were not from America, not from urban environments, and that experience really stays with me even today.”

Courtesy of Rev. Pamela Holmes ’89

Following graduation, Holmes initially wanted to pursue a career in law. “My initial plan was to go to law school and my first job was working as a paralegal in the homicide unit of the Brooklyn attorney’s office,” said Holmes. However, she soon realized that law was not for her and shifted her focus. “I was someone who was community focused and wanted to figure out how to give back so I started doing grassroots work and writing,” said Holmes. “This led me to do a masters degree in campaign management and did some political work before realizing that this was not it either though it was something interesting to me.”

Through her work in the community, Holmes was able to find her next job. “I ended up being involved with a group that did community development and examined the community in Bushwick in Brooklyn and developed a plan to address the concerns in the community,” said Holmes. “One of the organizations connected to it was Long Island University in Brooklyn and was able to work with the university as a director and realized that dealing with politicians and educators in higher ed was what was my calling.” Holmes found that this line of work was most fulfilling to her. “This also gave me the opportunity to satisfy my other desire which was working with a community and giving back through my interactions with students,” said Holmes.

Holmes stayed in her position at LIU before later working at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, working to increase the visibility of health careers of minority students, and at Brooklyn College, as a special assistant to the Director of Student Affairs. This is when Holmes received a calling. “God called [and] I originally didn’t want to answer,” said Holmes. “I quickly learned that when God calls you really can’t say no and began the journey of becoming a minister.” Following her calling, Holmes moved on to attend Princeton Theological Seminary in order to get ordained as a minister. After receiving her master of divinity degree in 2014, she began work as a pastor at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. 

After nine years of work as a pastor, Holmes applied for the position of chaplain for the New York Fire Department in 2023. “There was a job posting and I thought what an interesting experience this would be as it ties to being the person who gives back to the community…giving back to our first responders, the people who give back to us and put their lives on us,” said Holmes.

After a year of waiting to hear back and going through interviews, Holmes received word she had secured the job, a part-time job which pays $32,000 a year. 

In her job as a chaplain for the fire department, Holmes is one of seven chaplains the fire department maintains and works one day every week. “Each chaplain is on tour one day a week [and] the chaplains are there to provide spiritual support to the members (the employees) of the department,” said Holmes. “The chaplains are there to provide spiritual support to the [employees] of the department…in part it’s because of the work they do…putting your life on the line every day.”

Being on tour, chaplains will attend ceremonial events such as promotions and plaque ceremonies. If there are no ceremonial events, chaplains visit different firehouses and ems stations. “We ask how it’s going…you may enter a house where they just went out for a fire and people died and they are dealing with that, or someone might need a prayer because they lost a friend or are dealing with life problems,” said Holmes. 

A day on tour typically starts at 6 am in the morning and finishes around 2 am the next morning but can be longer. This is because chaplains are also on tour for emergencies which occur between 2 am and 6 am of the next day. “Anything above a three alarm fire they [will] call and I go to the fire,” said Holmes. “I’m at the command station and I might be praying for the first responders, people who live in that space, and making sure they get connected to the red cross.” 

Outside of her job as chaplain for the New York Fire Department, Holmes has continued her role as a full-time pastor at the Emmanuel Baptist Church. “I am working there full time during the day doing programming and I oversee our SAM or sacred arts ministry, which includes all things creative choir, dance, choir for kids, and managing greeters, orshers, guides, and sign language ministry,” said Holmes. 

Holmes is both aware of the achievement and responsibility as the first black woman to serve as fire chaplain for the New York Fire Department. “I think it’s an incredible honor to say that I am walking history but also a huge responsibility,” said Holmes. “The responsibility is heavy that I do an adequate job so that they won’t be hesitant to bring forward someone who looks like me.”

Holmes’ journey to becoming a history maker was not linear by any means, but instead a rich journey filled with the pleasure of following her passion. While difficult, Holmes continues to serve and give back to her community, which is something that she has continued to pursue throughout her life.