EL SEGUNDO HERALD December 3, 2020 Page 3
ESFD Battalion Chief Deena
Lee Shatters the Glass Ceiling
By Duane Plank
Ask colleagues, bosses, and anyone that
she has mentored why the El Segundo Fire
Department’s (ESFD) Deena Lee has become
the first female battalion chief in the South
Bay, and their impassioned responses tell
the story.
Emailed ESFD Fire Chief Chris Donovan:
“The El Segundo Fire Department has a
Motto of “Courtesy and Service” which
emphasizes our commitment to serving others
Monday, November 23rd
One female adult was arrested at 0629
hours from the 900 block of Main Street
for grand theft, conspiracy, and one LASD
misdemeanor warrant.
One male adult was arrested at 0629 hours
from the 900 block of Main Street for grand
theft, conspiracy, and one LASD felony
probation warrant.
A burglary (residential) report was taken
at 1254 hours from the 700 block of West
Imperial Avenue. Unknown suspect(s) stole
personal items from the victim’s carport.
One female adult was arrested at 2337
hours from East Mariposa Avenue and North
Nash Street for identity theft, conspiracy,
possession of a controlled substance, possession
of drug paraphernalia, and driving
on a suspended license.
One female adult was arrested at 2336
hours from Mariposa Avenue and Nash Street
for identity theft and conspiracy
Two males and one female adults were
arrested at 0326 hours from Center Street
and East Maple Avenue for grand theft and
conspiracy. One male and one female adults
were additionally charged with possession
of drug paraphernalia. One male adult was
additionally charged with possession of a
controlled substance.
Tuesday, November 24th
A burglary (auto) report was taken at 0800
hours from the 2000 block of East Mariposa
Avenue. The suspect broke into the victim’s
vehicle and stole her property.
One male adult was arrested at 1041 hours
from the 100 block of North Continental
Boulevard for grand theft auto.
One female adult was arrested at 1041 hours
from the 100 block of North Continental
Boulevard for resisting arrest.
and doing so with professionalism and
courtesy. And interestingly, this has been a
personal theme for Deena for decades,” he
wrote. “Deena began her formal quest to
become a firefighter, and in 2003, after 13
entry-level tests over 3 1/2 years, she was
hired by El Segundo Fire Department. Her
work ethic, determination, and a quest for
life-long learning continued to propel her
drive for excellence. Once off probation, she
began to take classes, obtained fire officer
certification, and became Urban Search and
Rescue Certified. In 2007 Deena took the fire
captain exam and was promoted. Her journey
of learning all aspects of the job and the
experience she gained along the way has led
her to today. Her drive, determination, grit,
compassion, and willingness to work harder
than anyone else, along with the sacrifices
she has made over the years, has paid off.
If you are going to select someone to be the
South Bay’s first female chief officer, that
person would be El Segundo Fire Department
battalion chief Deena Lee.”
Catherine Galanti is an intern with the
ESFD, who Lee took under her wing a few
years ago. “I first met Chief Lee (then Captain
Lee) in 2017 when I was a freshman in high
school, and I took a station tour with my
American Heritage Girls scout troop,” she
emailed. “I consider that the turning point in
my decision to become a firefighter because,
for the first time, I saw a woman who was
successful and respected in the fire service.
Over the past four years, Chief Lee has taken
me in and shown me so much about what it
means to be a firefighter.”
“In observing how Chief Lee interacts with
others in the department,” Galanti said, “as
well as people interested in joining the fire
service, I have always been impressed. It is
truly no surprise that she is the first female
battalion chief in the South Bay. She is always
supportive and willing to do what she can
to help - for anyone. It is evident how well
respected she is in the community.”
“She is also very committed to bringing up
the next generation of firefighters. Whether
it’s by sitting in on promotion interviews
for other local fire departments, helping to
pioneer the Women’s Fire Alliance, heading
the wildland task force, or always being willing
to do what she can for people trying to
get into the field, I know I’m not the only
one to benefit from Chief Lee’s mentorship.
One example that stands out to me was when
Chief Lee took the time to accompany me
to a Girls’ Camp put on by the LA County
Fire Department on her day off. She didn’t
have to do that, but I appreciated having her
there to support me.”
Melissa Hillis, engineer and firefighter in
the Beverly Hills Fire Department, piles on
the accolades for Lee, “I first met Deena
at El Camino Fire Academy in the fall of
2008,” she emailed. “I was a fresh firefighter
candidate enrolled at the academy, and she
was part of the training cadre. As Captain,
the highest-ranking female firefighter I had
ever seen, she was exactly what I wanted to
be - successful, competent, and respected.
It is so rare in the fire service to have a
woman in command that the other male
candidates would accidentally respond to
her, in para-military style loud voices, with
“YES SIR, I MEAN YES MA’AM!” Which
would inevitably result in the whole academy
having to get on the ground and give what I
called at the time “yes ma’am push-ups”...
in between each one, we would have to yell
“ONE, MA’AM,” (push-up) “TWO, MA’AM”
(push-up) “THREE MA’AM”... well you get
the idea. I loved those push-ups.”
Continued Hollis: “After the Academy,
Deena and I kept in touch. She would check
in from time to time to make sure things were
good and that I was being treated well at my
fire department. Deena is a caregiver, which
is so unique and so effective for a leader.
Our society’s cultural norms say that men
should achieve and that women should take
care of others when in truth, we all should
achieve and we all should take care of others.
Deena has this gift of being ultra-determined
to succeed, but while caring and supporting
others on her path to success. Our paths would
In Sound of Metal, a Musician Loses
His Hearing and, In Turn, His Identity
Dear Neighborhood Therapist:
My friend is a kind, funny, thoughtful
human who seems increasingly captured by
conspiracy theories. This has led to a lot of
problems for my friend at work, and though
I have tried to be patient and debunk these
theories with facts, I haven’t had any luck.
Our relationship is good, but I am extremely
worried about the effect that these beliefs are
going to have on my friend’s relationships
with other people. Should I be as worried
as I am?
– Pretty Darn Concerned in El Segundo..
Dear Pretty Darn Concerned,
Some of the most gratifying work I do is
helping people stand up for their beliefs and
their preferred way of living, especially when
it goes against what might be considered
“normal.” The pursuit of “normal” is catnip
for anxiety. Living up to standards that we
do not set ourselves is exhausting.
Many people want to play by their own
rules, and often they have good reason to do
so: many of the written and unwritten rules
that our society has set up are deeply unjust.
Ask Rosa Parks. Rule breakers and holders
of unpopular opinions make disproportionate
amounts of history.
Most of us do have an unpopular opinion
about something. If your friend insisted that
Godfather Part 3 was the best of the series,
I would urge you to be respectful even if
you disagree. We are all entitled to wish the
world would be certain ways.
I wish everyone accepted and celebrated
the different and the unfamiliar. I wish popular
kids would not be mean to unpopular
kids. I wish that bullies did not exist. I wish
that our government valued freelancers as
much as nine-to-fivers. I wish that our culture
did a better job of recognizing that a
college degree is not always in everyone’s
best interest. I wish that our tax system
valued committed partnerships as much as
legal marriages.
The problem, of course, is that none of
those things are true. Bullies exist from
kindergarten to nursing homes. Freelancers
have more trouble accessing unemployment
and other benefits. Many employers prefer
Police Reports
Your Neighborhood Therapist
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Entertainment
See Therapist, page 4
See Police Reports, page 8
Morgan Rojas for cinemacy.com
As a musician, the most important instrument
you have is your hearing. Sound
of Metal, written and directed by Darius
Marder and story by Derek Cianfrance
(Blue Valentine), is a dramatic exploration
of lost identity, and the challenge to accept
a new normal.
Riz Ahmed plays Ruben, a heavy metal
drummer who unexpectedly starts to go deaf
before playing a show with his bandmate and
partner, Lou (Olivia Cooke). Terrified and
confused, Ruben learns that with only 20%
of his hearing capacity left, his lifestyle as
a touring musician is forced to stop. Ruben
is stubborn at first to accept his new reality,
which includes a residency at a hearing
impaired rehabilitation facility of sorts. Lead
by a well-intentioned man named Joe, (Paul
Raci), Ruben’s struggles eventually turn into
small victories as he begins to welcome the
beauty in the unknown.
The way director Darius Marder works with
sound, which includes the piercing ring of
tinnitus and the strain of trying to understand
muffled conversations, is eerily gripping.
Combined with a phenomenal performance
from lead Riz Ahmed (one that will certainly
be discussed come awards season), Sound
of Metal is an emotional film that will be
hard to shake.
When I was younger, I used to wonder
if living without sight or sound would be
harder on me (as a film critic, this question
is like Sophie’s Choice). My answer has
varied throughout the years, and Sound of
Metal really puts you into the mindset of
a character who never got to choose. But
the takeaway here is that being deaf isn’t a
weakness or a handicap when viewed with
the right perspective. When one sense is
obstructed, it allows the others to expand
and grow, leading to appreciating moments
that, otherwise, may have gone unnoticed.
How hard would it be to accept the “new
you” after a tragedy? Cinemacy writer Ryan
Rojas explores this thought-provoking question
in the latest Reflection article, now up on
cinemacy.com.
Sound of Metal is being distributed by
Amazon Studios and will be available
to stream on Amazon Prime Video on
December 4, 2020. •
Sound of Metal, courtesy of Amazon Studios.
Morgan Rojas
See Chief Lee, page 8