Tracey Foster, Harrington Group, Inc.’s newest fire protection technician, has had an unconventional path in the industry. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
When Tracey was hired by a fire sprinkler company shortly after moving to South Carolina in 2001, the plan was for her to run the front office as an administrator. But after about a month on the job, a supervisor approached her with a proposition that she says had never occurred to her.
“They saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. They thought I’d make a good engineer,” she says. “I didn’t know I’d be good at it, but it turned out to be a great fit for me and my personality.”
Tracey appreciates that fire protection involves a mix of quiet, solo tasks and interactive field work, plus she enjoys the problem-solving element and the challenge of keeping up with the ever-evolving technology in the industry. She also describes herself as highly conscientious and concerned about safety, so working to protect people and property is both satisfying and meaningful.
“The longer I do this, the more I appreciate my role in society,” she says. “I’m contributing in a beneficial way.”
Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, Tracey has been working remotely since she began with HGI on October 26, and she’ll continue to do so once the pandemic is behind us. Her free time is mostly devoted to her husband (who also works in fire protection) and four kids, and since the lockdown began they’ve had more time to go for walks, work in the yard and attempt to keep the neighborhood squirrels and deer out of her garden.