Meet Deisy Vargas

Meet Deisy Vargas, the Santa Rosa Fire Department’s Community Outreach Specialist. If you’ve been to a City-run community event in the last 3 years, chances are you’ve already met Deisy. She is a friendly, knowledgeable face at City-run booths, speaking to fire prevention, safety, and emergency preparedness programs on behalf of the fire department in the community. Deisy always had a passion for community service. She began her career at a local nonprofit organization in their Community Engagement Department, and after 7 years, she looked to expand her experience by joining the public sector working as a Planner for the County of Sonoma’s Planning Department. After a few years, Deisy switched gears to pursue her true passion in the public sector to have direct interactions with the community. That’s why in 2019, when the Santa Rosa Fire Department was recruiting for the position of Community Outreach Specialist, Deisy jumped at the chance to work with the community again, in this important capacity. Deisy credits her success to a very special mentor, the late Vince Harper, thought of by many as a community hero in Santa Rosa. Vince was an advocate for helping youth find their potential and giving them the tools and opportunities, they needed to succeed. Deisy joined Vince’s leadership group when she was in middle school, but the mentorship continued well beyond that. It’s because of his guidance that Deisy found her passion (and her first job) in the community engagement field. While Deisy never thought she would end up working in the field of public safety, she is very happy she is! Working in public safety is not limited to just fire suppression; and there are a lot more options to make a difference, more than one would think: there are various positions in prevention, administration, emergency preparedness and community outreach. Deisy is one of many women in the fire department planning the upcoming Women in Public Safety Day on March 18. It’s a priority for her to contribute to efforts towards creating a more diverse workforce in public safety.