LTC 447-2020 Appointment of First Female Deputy Chief in the Fire DepartmentDocuSign Envelope ID: D21F 1DB4-74E0-400D0-9B3F-1B2D0BE07D43
MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC# 447-2020 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Dan Gelber and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
DATE: December 1 O, 2020
j¡ DocuSigned by: !e
SUBJECT: Appointment of First Female Deputy Chief in the Fire Department
The purpose of this Letter to Commission is to inform the Mayor and City Commission that the
Fire Chief has appointed Chief Digna Abello as the first female Deputy in the 100 years of the
department's history.
Rescue Division Chief Abello began her career with the Miami Beach Fire Department in 2005 and
has over 15 years of experience in the fire service. She rose through the ranks and has held the
position of Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Lieutenant, Division Chief of Training and currently is the
Division Chief of Rescue. Also, throughout her tenure with the department she has served on
numerous internal and external interview panel boards for positions such as Lieutenant, Captain,
Division Chief and Battalion Chief. In addition, most recently, she was selected as the chairperson
of the 175 Firefighter's Relief and Pension Board.
Lastly, Chief Abella continues to demonstrate a high degree of technical knowledge. In her current
and short capacity of Rescue Division Chief, she has made tremendous changes and triumphs to
the EMS division during the Covid-19 pandemic. In her past capacity as Division Chief of Training,
she was responsible for the training of new firefighter recruit personnel and company officers. I feel
confident that with her dedication, commitment, experience and the capability of the entire
command staff, the department will be able to continue to ensure the personnel's state of readiness.
Chief Abello will become the first female to ascend to the rank of Deputy Chief of Administration in
the history of the department.
Should you have any questions, please contact Fire Chief Fernandez.
JLMNF/YS-G