When Raevonne Reece is wearing her turnout gear and responding to calls, it’s hard to tell the difference between her and any other Columbus Fire and Rescue Firefighter.
It’s also hard to tell that she gave birth to her son, Baylor, only a few months ago.
“When you have a baby and when you have a career that you love, there’s not enough you can say about it,” Reece said.
Reece said she started firefighting five or six years ago as a volunteer at the Sherman Volunteer Fire Department near Tupelo. After her first few calls, including a train versus car call, an 18-wheeler hanging off of a bridge, and two factory fires, she was hooked.
“I got thrown into it right off the bat and I fell in love,” Reece said. “I absolutely fell in love. I fell in love with the fact that on somebody’s worst day, I can help be that person that might be able to help get them to smile again, or might be that little bit of ‘hey, somebody’s here with me.’”
Reece went to the Mississippi State Fire Academy while still volunteering. Then, in 2021, she started working as a full-time firefighter at the Water Valley Fire Department, where she stayed for two years.
But in April 2023, Reece joined CFR to work closer to home and in a more active department. Only a few weeks later, she and her husband, T.J., learned she was pregnant.
While Reece was excited about the pregnancy, she was nervous at first about how her new team would react.
“That was one thing I was so worried about when I got into the fire department,” Reece said. “… Everybody’s got a job these days, but the men aren’t the ones walking through the doors carrying another life within them.”
For the safety of her child, Reece was put on light duty, helping with duties around Station One and in the office. And while some of the other firefighters made jokes about her being on light duty, she said, it never made her feel unwelcome. Instead, B Shift became like a second family to her.
“It’s like I’ve got a bunch of brothers around me,” Reece said. “We all pick on each other. We’re all there for each other. There’s life lessons brought to the table.”
Reece said CFR Chief Duane Hughes was “like an angel,” making sure she had everything she needed while she was on light duty and her baby was healthy. Still, she missed getting to jump on the truck with everyone else on her shift.
“I missed it,” she said. “I missed it a lot.”
Reece spent any extra time that she had on light duty studying for and passing her EMT certification test, she said, which is one of the requirements of passing the probationary firefighter period at CFR.
On January 16, Reece was induced to go into labor, and eventually, taken for a cesarean section to have her baby boy. While Reece cannot remember labor, she said she remembers the eight to 11 week recovery process well.
“I made myself get up and walk, and man, that was some of the most pain I’ve ever felt in my life,” Reece said.
Since then, Reece said, she has been taking care of her son and recovering the core strength that she lost from both pregnancy and childbirth. The process has been difficult, since CFR works on shifts of 24 hours on and 48 hours off, meaning she and her husband, an Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Deputy, alternate on childcare.
But on April 16, Reece was sworn in as a CFR firefighter during a Columbus City Council meeting. Reece said it felt like she was now officially a part of the CFR family.
“When Chief (Hughes) handed me the helmet that said firefighter, I was like, ‘yes, finally.’”
“I can’t comprehend the complexity of being in this situation, but I do respect and appreciate the fact that Firefighter Reece fully committed herself to succeeding in both roles,” Chief Duane Hughes told The Dispatch in a text message. “Firefighter Reece completed all the goals required of a probationary firefighter and gave birth to a beautiful son.”
Reece said with no hesitation, being a mother is harder than being a firefighter, since she has a new kind of stress to manage. Reece said she worries about her son, and doing the right thing to raise him, more than running into any fire.
“We haven’t had a house fire since I’ve been back,” she said. “But it’s going to happen. It’s inevitable. And it’s just doing my job. Once you learn how to do it… it’s like getting back on a bicycle again.”
Still, Reece said, having a child was absolutely worth it, and she hopes other women know that it is possible to juggle mom life and firefighter life. She wants to continue working as a firefighter for as long as she can to prove it is possible to others and her son.
“I want Baylor to know that he can do anything in this world that he puts his mind to, because his momma did it,” she said.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 38 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
