An El Paso firefighter was truly a trail "blazer" when it came to becoming one of El Paso's finest and bravest.

The El Paso Fire Department was officially formed in January of 1882 following El Paso's first fire in 1881. It takes a brave man to, as the saying goes, "run in while others run out".

Women can be just as brave but it would take almost 150 years for them to get their shot.  (There's room for more by the way.)

Andress High School graduate Karla Martinez left Florida as a young girl when her folks decided they wanted a change.

They found their new lives in El Paso and Karla found her true calling ... saving lives.

Along with singing and Harley Davidsons. We'll get to those in a minute.

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Karla was the first female in history to be admitted to the El Paso Fire Fighting Academy and the 3rd female in history to graduate from it.

At 51 years of age, Martinez celebrates her 29th anniversary with the El Paso Fire Department (EPFD) in 2023. She embarked on her newfound career as the first-ever female in our city to pass the physical exam for admission into the El Paso Fire Training Academy in 1992 and later became the third female firefighter to graduate from the academy in 1994. - Veronica Nevarez/The City Magazine

On top of, basically, kicking ass on the daily; Karla is also a helluva singer. Rock is her preference and she once fronted Red Ruby.

Karla's also a proud member of the El Paso motorcycle community. For those who look down on "bikers", don't look down on this one. She may save your butt some day ... or kick it. Rock it maybe, she's versatile.

Congrats Karla. On top of saving lives, you've also changed many by knocking down a door that had been closed to females for way too long.

I'm proud to call you my friend. Now, let's get back to learning the new Metallica songs ...

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