Pontiac Times

Oxford Charter Township recently issued the following announcement.

Say ‘hello’ to Firefighter/EMT Trinity Muñoz!

Oxford Township is extremely proud of its female firefighters, paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Every day, they protect lives and property while working in a male-dominated field. These strong women are not only putting themselves at risk to keep our community safe, they’re knocking down stereotypes and providing positive role models for females of all ages.

Oxford Township is saluting these brave and selfless women by featuring each of them on our Facebook page. This week, we’re showcasing Trinity Muñoz, a paid-on-call firefighter/EMT who joined the department in 2019.

Trinity is a lifelong Oxford resident. She attended Daniel Axford and Oxford elementary schools and graduated from Oxford High School in 2018. She’s currently a senior at Oakland University (OU). Trinity is majoring in health science and hoping to be admitted to the Physician Assistant program at the University of Michigan-Flint.

It was a combination of her father’s health crisis and her love of community service that led Trinity to join the Oxford Fire Department.

In November 2018, Trinity’s father suffered “two massive heart attacks,” which resulted in him having quadruple bypass surgery.

“He was in the hospital for two weeks. I spent a lot of time there,” she said. “I remember sitting in his room in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit). It overlooked the ambulance bay. Watching them bring patients in, watching them work so hard to help people, it made me realize what I was missing in my life. I did a lot of community service in high school and I was missing that (as a freshman at OU).”

Joining the Oxford Fire Department as a paid-on-call member filled that hole.

“This job is just so rewarding,” she said. “I get to help and support people on their worst days, in their scariest moments. We offer them emotional support in addition to medical treatment.”

When she’s not busy responding to calls, Trinity loves interacting with kids during field trips to the fire station and community events. She hopes her presence and her story will inspire more young girls to join the fire service. 

She tells girls, “If you have the desire to be a firefighter or EMT, go for it! Don’t let someone tell you that you can’t!”

Growing up, Trinity’s parents, James and Renee Muñoz, repeatedly told her she “can do everything boys can do” and she took that message to heart.

“It doesn’t matter that I’m a girl. I can still keep up with the boys,” she said. “I might have to work a little bit harder, but I can still keep up with them.”

A perfect example of Trinity’s can-do attitude can be found in the way she handled the physical agility test that she had to pass in order to be admitted to the fire academy. She failed the first time she took it.

 “I felt very defeated, but I didn’t give up,” Trinity said.

She went back to the drawing board. She practiced long and hard. She sought help from those who had passed the test. She learned new techniques. And in the end, it all paid off.

“I was so proud of myself when I passed,” Trinity said. 

As mentioned earlier, Trinity believes helping people is the most “rewarding” part of being a firefighter/EMT. But what’s the “fun” part?

“The variety of calls,” she replied. “The exciting part of the job is that it’s different every day. If you like not knowing what’s coming next, this is definitely the job for you.”

Trinity also enjoys the emphasis on teamwork.

“Teamwork is very important here,” she said. “We set everything aside to help the community and each other. Everyone is always there to pitch in. It’s a big family.”

No matter where life takes her, Trinity is sure about one thing: Being a firefighter/EMT isn’t just a part-time gig, it’s who she is.

“I will always do this,” she said.

Original source can be found here.