Woodmere Mayor Ben Holbert, right, administers the oath of office to Woodmere Fire Chief Gina DeVito-Staub as her son, Sullivan, holds the Bible. The ceremony was held Friday (July 29) in the mall at Eton Chagrin Boulevard in Woodmere. (Ed Wittenberg, special to cleveland.com)

WOODMERE, Ohio – Moreland Hills Mayor Daniel Fritz acknowledges that many accolades will be expressed about new Woodmere Fire Chief Gina DeVito-Staub being the first female appointed to the position of fire chief in Cuyahoga County.

“I’ll share the one that immediately popped into my mind after I was contacted by (Woodmere Mayor Ben) Holbert,” Fritz said Friday (July 29). “It’s about time.”

Fritz, who also serves as assistant chief of the Orange Village Fire Department and captain of the Bedford Heights Fire Department, was one of several speakers at the ceremony at which Holbert administered the oath of office to DeVito-Staub, making her Woodmere’s first female fire chief.

About 100 people – including fire department personnel from throughout Cuyahoga County and many local elected officials – witnessed the historic event in the atrium of the mall at Eton Chagrin Boulevard.

DeVito-Staub’s 18-year-old son, Sullivan, who seeks to follow in her footsteps as a professional firefighter, held the Bible as Holbert swore her in.

Looking on with pride in the front row were her husband, Herb Staub, and stepdaughter, Brittany Staub.

After Woodmere Assistant Fire Chief Dale Cohen – who has been with the Woodmere Fire Department for 42 years – presented DeVito-Staub with her fire helmet, Sullivan pinned the chief’s badge to her uniform.

“I am very much looking forward to learning more about the community of Woodmere because without the community, we don’t have a fire department,” DeVito-Staub said. “And I’m looking forward to learning more about the fire department and making it more amazing than it already is.

“I’m very excited for this next adventure, and if anyone wants to come work for Woodmere Fire, come see me. I’m recruiting already.”

New Woodmere Fire Chief Gina DeVito-Staub gives the thumbs-up sign as she speaks to the crowd after being administered the oath of office for her position. (Ed Wittenberg, special to cleveland.com)

DeVito-Staub also thanked her family and her “fire family,” referring to members of the Twinsburg Fire Department. She will continue to work full time for the Twinsburg Fire Department, where she has served for 25 years, including the past three years as captain.

“You guys have been my mentors, and I just hope I can pay it forward,” she said.

Woodmere Village Council confirmed the appointment of DeVito-Staub July 13 by a 6-0 vote. She will assume office Monday (Aug. 1).

DeVito-Staub, 50, will earn a salary of $47,000 as the village’s part-time fire chief. She said she will work 24 to 30 hours per week in Woodmere.

She will replace Johnny Brewington, who retired as the village’s fire chief in April after eight years of service.

Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Meredith Turner, who served as mistress of ceremonies, expresses faith in new Woodmere Fire Chief Gina DeVito-Staub’s skills. (Ed Wittenberg, special to cleveland.com)

‘Breaking through the glass ceiling’

Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Meredith Turner, who served as mistress of ceremonies, noted that Woodmere will have the distinction of being the first Cuyahoga County municipality to have two women lead its safety forces. She introduced Police Chief Sheila Mason, who has led the Woodmere Village Police Department since 2012.

Turner – who represents Woodmere, parts of Cleveland and eight other municipalities as the county’s District 9 representative – said Woodmere residents should feel confident that Holbert and his team are “working diligently on their behalf in an open, transparent and inclusive manner.”

“The Village of Woodmere is a leader in breaking through the glass ceiling,” she said. “As a woman in a leadership position, I know how hard it is to operate in fields historically underrepresented by women.

“I thank Mayor Holbert for his leadership and having his safety forces under the professional guidance of two strong, capable women.”

Turner said with more than two decades of firefighting experience and being a licensed paramedic, DeVito-Staub is “exceptionally prepared” for this leadership position and has earned it.

“She is well positioned to manage the 29 staff members who comprise the Woodmere Fire Department,” she said.

“With this new position and responsibilities, undoubtedly increased scrutiny will follow. Anyone with the word ‘first’ attached to her title will be under the microscope from day one.

“I have all the faith in Chief Gina’s skills, and I know that she will be a fine representative for all working women,” she continued. “I wish her well in her succession to this position and pray that she has the strength, patience and wisdom to excel in her role, which we know she will.

“Somewhere there is a girl who never believed that she could grow up to be a fire chief. Now, we all know it is possible.”

Moreland Hills Mayor Daniel Fritz says Woodmere Fire Chief Gina DeVito-Staub’s efforts in rising through the ranks make him proud to call himself a firefighter. (Ed Wittenberg, special to cleveland.com)

Fritz said when he was asked by Holbert to say a few words on DeVito-Staub’s behalf, he reached out to some Twinsburg firefighters he knows.

“The comments were impressive, consistent and supportive,” he said. “In short, Gina, the consensus was unanimous that you will make an impressive addition to the Woodmere Village Fire Department.”

Fritz said during his 25-plus years as a firefighter, female firefighters and officers often have been asked to prove their worth “above and beyond, at times, an average male firefighter.”

“That has always bothered me throughout my entire career,” he said. “In Bedford Heights, I have the pleasure of working alongside local female firefighters in other departments, and I can attest that I would crawl into any fire with them at my side.”

Fritz said DeVito-Staub’s efforts in rising through the ranks make him proud to call himself a firefighter.

“You represent the men and women I enjoy working alongside – the proud, the educated, the motivated, the leaders,” he said.

“Your new capacity won’t be without its challenges, and I think you know that. However, the men and women of the Orange Fire Department will be here to assist in any way that we can. Our goal is your success, as only regionally can we excel in terms of providing for the safety of our residents.”

Acting Twinsburg Mayor Sam Scaffide congratulates Woodmere Fire Chief Gina DeVito-Staub on her appointment. (Ed Wittenberg, special to cleveland.com)

Sam Scaffide, acting mayor of Twinsburg, where he served as a councilman for nearly 20 years, described it as “an exciting day for the Village of Woodmere and a proud day for the City of Twinsburg.”

“Gina’s high energy, together with the support and encouragement she received from the Twinsburg Fire Department over a 25-year span, has prepared her well once again,” he said. “That’s why it’s no surprise to anyone in Twinsburg that our Captain Gina, as we lovingly call her, will become the Village of Woodmere’s and Cuyahoga County’s first female fire chief.

“On behalf of the Twinsburg Fire Department, the entire City Council, the mayor and the administration and all the residents of Twinsburg, I would like to congratulate you and wish you nothing but the best of luck in the future in your new position as fire chief.”

Turner also read a letter from U.S. Rep. Shontel M. Brown, of Ohio’s 11th Congressional District, who congratulated DeVito-Staub on her “remarkable milestone.”

“Your 25-plus years of service, courage and leadership have not gone unnoticed, especially by Mayor Ben Holbert and the Village of Woodmere,” Brown wrote. “We salute you and those you will serve.”

Chip Freed, lead pastor at Garfield Memorial Church in Pepper Pike, offered a prayer for DeVito-Staub and other safety forces members in attendance.

Local musician Herb Wilborn Jr. performed the national anthem on flute.

New Woodmere Fire Chief Gina DeVito-Staub, center, is all smiles as she celebrates with Woodmere Police Chief Sheila Mason, left, and Woodmere Mayor Ben Holbert after the swearing-in ceremony. (Ed Wittenberg, special to cleveland.com)

A native of Ashtabula and a Solon resident, DeVito-Staub began her firefighting career as a volunteer with the Hiram Fire Department while a student at Hiram College -- where she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology -- and worked in Warren as a paramedic.

In 1997, she was hired as a firefighter/paramedic by the Twinsburg Fire Department. She was promoted to lieutenant in 2006 -- becoming the department’s first female fire officer -- and served in that capacity until being promoted to captain in 2019.

DeVito-Staub is a licensed fire safety instructor and is also a fire officer instructor with the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association. She is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and a member of the Summit County Hazardous Materials Team.

She serves as an adjunct professor for the University of Akron’s fire protection degree program and also teaches at the university’s fire academy.

DeVito-Staub earned an MBA and a master’s degree in leadership from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. She is working toward certification in public management at Cleveland State University.

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