The Smoke Alarm lady

Cindy Murphy, Clarksburg

Retired Clarksburg fire captain and founder of Operation “Not One More”

THE FIRST AND ONLY

“I am the first and only female career firefighter at the Clarksburg Fire Department. I was there for 27 years, and I always wanted another woman to join the team. Young girls need to see someone like them. When you can see yourself in literature and movies and then see real-life people doing it, that is representation.”

NOT ONE MORE

“After a back injury took me off field work, I became a safety and training officer, eventually starting Operation “Not One More.” The program is my mission to supply every first grade kid in the area with a free 10-year smoke alarm. There have been multiple confirmed cases of the fire alarms saving families after the kids took the lesson home. That’s the joy of the program—the kids can be the hero.”

ONGOING DUTY

“When I retired from the Clarksburg Fire Department, I didn’t stay retired long. I started working in threat preparation, focusing on COVID-19 response and vaccinations. It’s the same kind of life-saving thing, only in a different uniform—putting out a fire with a different extinguishing agent. I am lucky to be born in a state that I can make a difference in, that lets women like me be a part of something so important.”

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Since 2014 WV Living magazine has been honoring West Virginia Wonder Women, amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. WV Living is proud to celebrate these Appalachian mothers, millennials, and mavens proving that in a time full of uncertainty, divisiveness, and hate, love for one another is all we really need. No need for bulletproof bracelets or a golden lasso of truth—these women are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.