Captain Honored with Award for Her Commitment to the Community

Mayor Bob Buckhorn presented Tampa Fire Rescue Captain Susan D. Tamme with the 2012 Josephine Howard Stafford Memorial Award at the 16th Annual Women's History Month Celebration at the Tampa Convention Center this week, according to a press release.

The award, created in 1997 to honor a current or former city’s female employee who demonstrates outstanding commitment to her position and the community, is presented in memory of women's rights pioneer Josephine Howard Stafford, who served as an Assistant City Attorney for 24 years and was the first female judge in Hillsborough County.

Tamme, who is assigned to Tampa Fire Rescue Station 8 located at 2015 N. Manhattan Ave. near the International Plaza, has served as a firefighter, paramedic, and lieutenant prior to becoming a captain during her 18 years of service.

“Susan's perseverance, sense of humor and "just do it" attitude has made her distinctive both professionally and in her personal life. The Women's History Month Committee selected Captain Tamme as the 2012 honoree, for her dedication to her profession and her commitment to the community,” said Tampa Fire Rescue Captain Lonnie Benniefield in the press release.

Tamme, who is a mother of three children, currently serves on several national committees dedicated to the well-being of firefighters and she is the Southeast Trustee for the International Association of Women in Fire & Emergency Services (I-Women), an organization committed to the recruitment, retention and equality of women in the fire service.