Interim fire chief keeps the ladder down for future generations
Melanie Rucker stands in front of a retired firetruck at the MN Firefighters Museum on Jan. 7. Photo by MJ Smith
By the North News Intern Team
Minneapolis Fire Department Interim Chief Rucker didn’t grow up wanting to be a firefighter, but developed an interest in community service and public health as an adult.
After serving as the department’s assistant fire chief for six years, she is currently serving as the city’s interim fire chief.
“This is the position that I'm in, and I have to make sure the department runs smoothly,” Rucker said. “I'll have doubters and naysayers, but I still have to do my job, whether or not they like it or not.”
Rucker was appointed the interim fire chief by former Fire Chief Bryan Tyner on Dec. 29, 2025. Rucker is the first Black woman chief in Minneapolis and the third Black fire chief behind Tyner.
She told North News in early January that she had withdrawn from the national search for the permanent fire chief position.
Previously, Rucker was the assistant fire chief and communications director, a position she will return to once her tenure as chief is over.
Rucker has been a Northsider since she moved here in 8th grade. Her husband, Charles Rucker, is also a Minneapolis firefighter and serves on the Park & Recreation Board, representing District 2 in North Minneapolis.
After graduating from North High School in 1999, Rucker began studying electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota, but soon discovered that circuit boards and equations weren’t for her.
When her first child was born, being around nurses sparked a newfound interest in healthcare and compassion.
An ad on KMOJ featuring the first Black woman to serve as a Minneapolis fire captain recruiting for firefighters caught her attention. But when she picked up an application at a Northside firehouse, there was no one who looked like her.
“They were all older, white, grey-haired men, and I’m this little black girl,” Rucker said. “Women didn't come on until the mid-'80s.”
Rucker was undeterred.
“When I first applied for the fire department, it was a career to take care of my family,” Rucker said.
Rucker joined the department in 1999. During her more than 26-year career with the fire department, she’s served as captain, battalion chief, and deputy chief.
An important factor of Rucker’s job is to show young people, especially young black girls, that they are capable of everything she is and more.
“If it wasn’t for those who came before me, the women and men of color, then I couldn’t even be here,” Rucker said. “Pun intended, don’t pull up that ladder. As firefighters, do as much as you can to help the next person.”
Part of Rucker’s plan is to continue Tyner’s legacy as well as her own through the EMS Pathways Program. Rucker talked with potential recruits at the Minnesota Fire Museum on Jan. 7 about the program.
“It's not just about collecting a paycheck and leaving, it's about making sure the community is taken care of and that they're respected,” Rucker said.
North News interns contributors: Nadia Abdulqadir, Ta’Khya Carsile, Kiya Darden, Lynn Flannigan, Tiana Glover, Aiyana Kirk, Azalea Petry-Towns, Clarence Ransom, Nay Ryan, Corey Ricks, MJ Smith.