PSA 9/16/2026: 144 Years in the Making: Nicole Maes Becomes LVFD’s First Female Engineer
August 19, 2026, marked a historic day for the Las Vegas Fire Department as Firefighter Nicole Maes tested for promotion to Engineer. After successfully completing the process, she became the first female Engineer in the department’s 144-year history.
For Maes, the milestone was about more than being “the first.” It represented nearly a decade of volunteer service, emergency medical experience, professional firefighting, training and preparation.
After weeks of studying and practicing with her crew, Maes completed a two-hour practical examination requiring technical knowledge, calculations, decision-making and hands-on apparatus skills. She admitted she was nervous, but years of experience and preparation had brought her to that moment.
An Unexpected Beginning
Maes’ journey into the fire service began nearly a decade earlier — and almost by accident.
In 2017, she was living in the Sheridan area and planning for an entirely different career. She wanted to become a veterinarian. One Sunday, while Maes and her family were on their way to church, they noticed black smoke rising near a property close to the KOA. They stopped and learned a neighboring property was on fire.
With no fire service experience and still dressed for church, Maes told her partner to call 911 and went to help. She climbed over a fence, tearing her pants on barbed wire, and made her way toward the home. When she could not find a garden hose, she grabbed a shovel and began throwing dirt onto the flames. The homeowners eventually joined her, using water from rain barrels to knock down much of the grass fire before firefighters arrived.
When members of the Sheridan Volunteer Fire Department reached the scene, they asked Maes whether she had ever considered joining. About two weeks later, Sheridan Fire Chief Daniel Atencio helped bring her into the department.
What began unexpectedly quickly became a passion. Maes began taking classes and learning the fundamentals of firefighting. She eventually became Captain and later Battalion Chief with Sheridan, a leadership position she continues to hold. She has now spent approximately nine years in the volunteer fire service.
She also earned her EMT license and worked for approximately two years with Mora Ambulance, expanding her experience in emergency medical response. Fire, however, remained where she felt most at home.
Finding Her Place at LVFD
In 2022, Maes joined the Las Vegas Fire Department as a probationary firefighter with her EMT-Basic license already in hand.
After successfully completing her probationary period, Maes became the first female firefighter in LVFD history to do so — making her no stranger to breaking barriers within the department. She went on to earn her Firefighter I and Firefighter II certifications and continued building on that foundation through additional training.
Maes completed the Emergency Vehicle Operator Course, or EVOC, began driving the department’s apparatus and later earned her Pump Operations certification — an important step toward becoming eligible to test for Engineer. Each step brought additional responsibility and another layer of knowledge, ultimately preparing her for the position she would once again make history by earning.
Of the department’s apparatus, Maes said Engine 4 remains her favorite. The connection is personal — it is the truck she learned on, and she has even given her the name “Eileen.” As a midship pump truck, Engine 4 gives the Engineer a broader view of the apparatus and surrounding operation. Learning on “Eileen” helped Maes understand how the pump, apparatus, water system and crew all work together on the fireground.
It became the place where many of the individual skills she had been developing began to connect.
More Than Driving the Fire Engine
To someone outside the fire service, an Engineer may sound like the firefighter who drives the truck, but the responsibility goes far beyond the wheel. Engineers safely transport crews, position apparatus, establish water supplies, operate pumps and calculate pressure, friction loss and water demand while continuously monitoring equipment and changing conditions.
When firefighters enter a burning structure, the water they depend on may be controlled by the Engineer outside. Too little pressure can leave a crew without enough water, while too much can make a hose line difficult or unsafe to control.
The Engineer also serves as an important link between firefighters and the shift Lieutenant, helping with apparatus readiness, equipment, training and station responsibilities. For Maes, earning the position was about more than another title. It was about leadership.
“I want to be a lady of my word,” Maes said. “I want to lead by example.”
Leadership Built on Trust
Maes said empathy and trust are central to her leadership, whether advocating for a patient or supporting a fellow firefighter. “I want them to know that regardless of how hard it gets, they have someone to trust and rely on,” Maes said. “And vice versa. I have to trust and rely on my guys too.”
Maes also sees her promotion as an opportunity to pass forward the knowledge others invested in her throughout her career. “The amazing thing about this is now I get to show off what my mentors have shown me,” she said. “This is truly where knowledge and wisdom gets passed down, and now it gets my little twist on things.”
Behind the technical knowledge, calculations, equipment and leadership is one common purpose: helping firefighters do their jobs safely and making sure the crew gets home. That responsibility is now part of Maes’ job every time she steps into the Engineer position.
She Wanted to Earn It
Maes understands the significance of becoming the first female Engineer in the history of LVFD but breaking a barrier was never what drove her to pursue the position. She wanted to earn it. “I never saw it as a race or a competition,” Maes said. “I just wanted to be worthy of the job and to earn the respect of my guys.”
As a first-generation firefighter, Maes entered a profession that remains heavily male-dominated. Over the years, she learned that succeeding in that environment did not require changing who she was. “I kept to my roots and my wits,” she said. “I authentically stayed silly and kind, and it’s gotten me this far. So besides that term, ‘the first female,’ I’m here for so much more.”
Still, she understands what being the first can mean to someone watching. Some of her favorite reminders come from children. “I absolutely love seeing the faces on little ones realizing I get to drive the big trucks and do the cool things as a female,” Maes said.
Earlier this year, Maes also attended New Mexico’s first female firefighters retreat, an experience that further highlighted the role women continue to build within the profession. “I hope this opens the door for more females to see that this career can be so rewarding for us women,” she said. “We bring so much more to the department than we realize.”
Her promotion may have made department history, but Maes hopes its meaning extends beyond gender. For her, leadership is about what someone does after receiving the title. “I want the promotion to show that just because the title changes for someone, your integrity should remain the same and improve,” Maes said. “A title shouldn’t boost ego or pride.”
She sees her new position as an opportunity to help shape the department where she has built her professional firefighting career. “Now with my new role, I feel like I can have a little more influence on the culture of the department and maybe shine a light on how incredible it is to be here,” she said.
And she is not finished.
Maes is already looking toward her next goals. She plans to complete a peer support program, an area important to her because of the mental and emotional challenges first responders often experience. She also plans to eventually pursue her Intermediate EMS license.
Becoming an Engineer is another step forward in a career that started unexpectedly beside a grass fire with a shovel in her hands. Nearly a decade later, Maes is behind the wheel and pump panel of a fire engine, entrusted with greater responsibility for the firefighters beside her. And this time, there is another distinction attached to her name — the first female Engineer in Las Vegas Fire Department history.
Grateful for Those Who Helped Her Get Here
Maes is quick to recognize those who helped her reach this milestone. She thanked Sheridan Fire Chief Daniel Atencio for helping start her journey, and Fire Chief Steven C. Spann and Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal Andrew Duran for giving her the opportunity to become a career firefighter and advance to Engineer. She also credited Lieutenant Abel Harris, her Green Team crew and the many mentors and firefighters who have trained and supported her along the way.
“And my fire crew — my little ducklings, as I say — thanks for making the shift bearable through good and bad times,” Maes said.
Beyond the firehouse, Maes is also a mother, and one of her greatest motivations is her son, Nicolas. “To my son Nicolas, I’m doing this all for you and our future,” Maes said.
A Promotion Celebrated Across the Department and Community
While Maes remains focused on the work ahead, the people who have trained beside her, worked emergency scenes with her and watched her career develop recognize the significance of what she has accomplished.
Lieutenant Abel Harris has seen much of the preparation firsthand. As a member of Maes’ Green Team crew, he and other firefighters spent significant time helping her prepare after she completed Pump Operations. “I have studied with her like crazy,” Harris said. “We have done a lot of study sessions and taken her out for Engineer training since she passed Pump Ops. She has gained a lot of experience and deserves this position.”
For Fire Chief Steven C. Spann, watching Maes reach the milestone carried both professional and personal meaning. “After 30 years in the fire service and as the father of three daughters, it is heartwarming to see Engineer Maes lead by example and show that you can do anything you put your mind to,” Spann said. “Engineer Maes did incredibly well in her testing and demonstrated the knowledge and ability required of all candidates.”
Spann said LVFD believes opportunities should be available to everyone willing to train, work and meet the standards of the profession. “In the fire service, we are all brothers and sisters,” he said. “I look forward to seeing Engineer Maes advance in the fire service. Strong work and congratulations, Engineer Maes.”
Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal Andrew Duran said the historic nature of the promotion does not change what Maes had to do to earn it. “I am proud to be part of a historic event with the promotion of Maes to the position of Engineer,” Duran said. “While she is the first female to promote to an Engineer position, we believe in the standard we’ve established, and those standards don’t see gender. She clearly met the standard, and I can say she’s taking her new role seriously and without hesitation. Well deserved, Ms. Maes.”
Newly hired Captain John Sotres, who recently returned to the Las Vegas Fire Department and brings approximately 10 years of fire service experience, said advancement in the fire service is built through consistency long before testing day arrives. He said Maes’ promotion reflects the kind of consistency, preparation and commitment that begins long before a firefighter ever reaches testing day. “Stay dedicated even when the motivation fades. That is when you know you have made true progress,” Sotres said.
Mayor David Romero said Maes’ accomplishment represents both a historic moment for LVFD and an example for young women throughout the community. “Engineer Nicole Maes is making history as the first female engineer in the Las Vegas Fire Department. Her achievement reflects dedication, skill, and a powerful example for young women across our community. We are proud to celebrate her service and this important milestone for LVFD,” Romero said.
Councilor Barbara Casey, a longtime advocate for women’s rights and equality, said Maes’ achievement represents an important milestone for women in the fire service and the Las Vegas community. “I am so very proud of Nicole Maes, who has worked diligently to become the first female Engineer for the Las Vegas Fire Department,” Casey said. “Her promotion demonstrates that women can match or exceed expectations in positions that have traditionally been considered gender-determined. Nicole has broken through that barrier, and I am very, very proud of her.”
The congratulations recognize a historic first, but Maes’ story is ultimately about the years behind that first — the emergency call that unexpectedly introduced her to the fire service, the classes and certifications that followed, the volunteer service, EMS experience, hours spent studying with her crew, time behind the wheel, Pump Operations training and the testing required to prove she was ready.
Now, she has an opportunity to pass that experience forward.
And for the young girl who sees Maes driving the fire engine and realizes for the first time that she could someday be the person behind that wheel, the impact of what happened on August 19 may reach much further than a single promotion. Maes said it best herself. “I hope this opens the door for more females to see that this career can be so rewarding for us women. We bring so much more to the department than we realize.”
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