From Fire Chief to Full-time Mother: Following the Promptings of the Spirit

The title of Loreta Guliman Narag’s first job with the local Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) office in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan was Fire Officer 1. She then rose through the ranks, gaining the office of Lieutenant or Fire Inspector. 

Earning a health professional’s license, she eventually provided medical work for her fellow employees, but as a firefighter she also went out in helping those affected by blazes and conflagrations. “If there's a fire, there's also an ambulance,” she recounts. “So, we also went to treat those who were suffering or the people involved during the fire.”

After ten years of hard work and diligence, Loreta was promoted to become the provincial fire director for Batanes and also as the head for medical services. It was a remarkable achievement, since many people considered the work of putting out fires as a man’s job. Loreta was also officially honored as one of the outstanding women of the region.

Although Loreta felt happy in her position and distinctions, something else was burning in her heart: her faith. Loreta’s parents happened to be among the pioneer members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tuguegarao.

“At BFP, I always let my fellow officers know that I am a member of the Church,” she relates. “Because of that, I would be asked to give a prayer during meetings, and others would serve me juice or milk instead of coffee or tea.”

As a mother to three children, Sister Narag tried to balance her career with her home life. “I helped put out fires, but I could not put out the fire I felt in my heart” she reveals. The longing to put her family first burned within her bosom, and she decided to ask Heavenly Father for guidance and direction, so she knelt down and prayed.

In 2023, acting on the promptings she received—and with twenty-four years of active service behind her—Loreta Narag retired from her then position as a senior superintendent (rank of colonel), in order to focus more on her family.

It was not an easy decision, as this would impact her economically and socially, but she trusted in the whisperings of the Spirit, which continued to warm her heart. 

Today, Sister Narag helps manage her household as her children continue schooling and takes care of the family business. “I saw and felt the consequences of my decision,” she now confides, “but I knew that it was right, because I chose to be with my family.”