Tacoma appoints first Samoan fire chief

Tacoma appoints first Samoan fire chief in city history

The Tacoma Fire Department has sworn in its new fire chief, and she’s already breaking ground as the first Samoan to hold that position in the city’s history.

TACOMA, Wash. - The Tacoma Fire Department has sworn in its new fire chief, and she’s already breaking ground as the first Samoan to hold that position in the city’s history.

On Tuesday, Tacoma City Council appointed Sionna Stallings Ala’ilima as the new fire chief.

"It’s amazing, it’s amazing," Stallings Ala’ilima said. "I really want kids to know that you can do anything, and I want young girls and Polynesians of all types that the sky is the limit so aim high."

She was previously Assistant Chief in 2022 and has been serving as interim fire chief for the past nine months. "I’m happy to be stepping up into this role because I’m 100% Tacoma fire department through and through," Stallings Ala’ilima said.

Image 1 of 3

▼

Her appointment, not just an honor for the fire chief, but for Samoans like Faaluaina Pritchard, the Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Culture Center in Tacoma.

"I was just so thrilled and also, I’m the older generation I want my young people, my young Samoan people to grow and go as far as they can," Pritchard said. "There was a time that no one knew who we were and if you said Samoa, they would look at you funny and say, ‘where is that at and what is that?’"

"I’m very proud and I’m very proud to be a representative for the Samoan and also the Polynesian culture that reside here," Stallings Ala’ilima said.

Some of that culture was on full display at the city council meeting on Tuesday.

"Some of my family members, they did the Haka which is from the Māori culture in New Zealand," Stallings Ala’ilima said. "It’s a show of strength, pride and unity and a lot of times it’s used right before going into war and battle, but also for celebrations."

A celebration and show of pride for the new Tacoma Fire Chief.

"There’s thousands of firefighters that came before us, our department started in 1880, so our family business has been around for a long time and this is my time to try and usher us into the future," Stallings Ala’ilima said.

She told FOX 13 she has a lot of goals for the department, including finding funding to replace and repair fleets, but also collaborations with community partners as well as fostering more community interaction.

The Source: Information in this story is from the Asia Pacific Culture Center, the Tacoma Fire Department, Tacoma City Council and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.