abc2 news manny locke explains. >> reporter: first responders are going on a service call. normally ems thompson would be following. but with her new promotion as the first african-american female lieutenant in the baltimore county fire department, she now has more responsibilities and administrative duties that take her away from her first love. >> i'm going to miss actually being on the truck and the patient interact. like you said, it's my heart. >> reporter: lieutenant thompson is trained and feels this will help her with her new administrative duties. she remembers the day that changed her life. >> i spent three years as an administrative assistant with the federal burrow of investigations and in september of 2001 we all know what happened there and the amount of help and assistance and everything that was given to the city inspired me to get into that field. >> reporter: in baltimore county from the year 2010 there were 117,000 service calls and approximately 87,000 or 75% of those were ems calls. thompson is looking forward to new challenges ahead of her and want peo