Kerry Crivello - Engineer

Before Firefighter/Engineer Kerry Crivello was driving a fire engine through the streets of Los Angeles, she was a 19-year-old pre-med student in Boston, thinking about her future and who she would become.  

Crivello worked as an emergency medical technician (EMT) to put herself through school and gain hands-on experience with patients, believing that she was headed toward a career in medicine. But somewhere between classroom hours and ambulance shifts, she began considering a different path forward.  

While working in the field, Crivello realized that she was more energized by that work – the unpredictability, the human connection, and the fast pace of emergency paramedical care. The work within her planned path was calling to her more than the path itself.  

But firefighting did not cross Crivello’s radar until she attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for her post-grad. Her paramedic internship provided her the opportunity to step into a fire station for the first time – Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Fire Station 61. She left feeling inspired by the discipline, teamwork, and high expectations that extended from the newest firefighter to the most seasoned member.  

Crivello saw herself in that world. And once she did, she knew that the LAFD was where she wanted to be.

After completing her master’s degree, Crivello began applying to departments everywhere and ended up working with another fire department to make ends meet while awaiting her chance with the LAFD. During that time, she also became a mother and bought a home, shouldering many responsibilities while chasing her dream.

She entered her first drill tower with a six-month-old at home.

"I didn’t have a choice but to be successful,”

she reflected.

But Crivello was not looking for excuses or special treatment. In fact, she intentionally kept being a new mother to herself, desiring to be judged by her work ethic and not by assumptions that others might make about her as a young mother. She wanted to earn her place in the fire service.  

Finally, Crivello’s opportunity with the LAFD came. Her medical background was strong, as she had already spent years teaching EMT and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) classes and developing the calm, practical confidence that comes with field experience. But stepping into the LAFD came with a steep learning curve – particularly the firefighting aspects.  

She vividly remembers her first structure fire near Fire Station 88. Firefighter Crivello jumped off the truck and realized that LAFD units had already arrived and were moving quickly and decisively. The pace was different from her previous department, and the expectations were clear and practiced. That experience cemented her respect for the Department she had worked so hard to join.  

Crivello currently serves as a Firefighter/Engineer at Fire Station 52. Since being promoted, Engineer Crivello says that she has a broader view of the work. Instead of focusing on one task, she now has a wide perspective on every incident, observing how crews move and scenes unfold while positioning both the engine and her fellow members safely and effectively.

Having moved through her career as both a student and a teacher, Engineer Crivello believes that “We learn so much from teaching.” In addition to her role at the station, she teaches driving classes and is an instructor for the LAFD’s candidate advancement program (CAP), helping firefighter hopefuls prepare for the drill tower. She understands that leadership is more than just mastering a skill – it’s about helping others build confidence, resilience, and their own kind of readiness.  

It’s also through this lens that mental health advocacy has become an important part of her career. She leads the West Bureau’s peer support team and is part of the LAFD’s Wellness cadre, helping firefighters address the trauma they face daily and build resilience in a career that requires so much of them.  

“It’s all about building resilience,” she says. She added that the hardest part of the job is often not the dramatic incident itself, but the emotional toll that those incidents take over time. “We need to normalize that feelings exist.”

She talks openly about her own self-care and the coping strategies that help her reset, from running to long walks and hiking, while helping others find what works for them, knowing that longevity in the fire service requires much more than just mental toughness.  

Engineer Crivello has built her journey through intention, resilience, and a desire to keep growing. She has embraced discomfort as part of the job and advises others pursuing a career in fire to do the same. “Get comfortable being uncomfortable,” she says, advice that she has lived herself.  

From pre-med student to LAFD engineer; from a young mother in the drill tower to a trusted mentor and mental health leader; Engineer Crivello has earned her place. She encourages others to not only develop the skills, compassion, and commitment to do the job well, but to help others thrive in it, too.