“Women can do it, too.”
A group of five female firefighters from Florida are making history.
Earlier this month, Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue welcomed the first all-women crew in its 57-year history.
Written content by Meghan Overdeep for Southern Living
“We’re breaking barriers. It’s the first time we had in our department a female as a captain, a driver, a firefighter, rescue lieutenant, and a medic,” Krystyna Heiser Krakowski, Rescue Lieutenant at Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue, told WPBF. “Women can do it, too.”
We made history!!!! First time in our department we have have had an all female crew!!! It is beyond empowering to stand…Posted by Krystyna Krakowski Heiser on Saturday, September 19, 2020
Krakowski is joined by Julie Dudley, Kelsey Krzywada, Sandi Ladewski, and Monica Marzullo.
“It was completely organic,” Krakowski explained to WBNS about how the women found themselves working together. “It’s never happened in our department to have a woman in every position in house.”
The pioneering crew become official on Friday, September 18.
“That day the stars aligned, and it happened to be the day that Justice Ruth Ginsburg passed away as well, so it made the event even more special,” James Ippolito, deputy fire chief of operations, Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue, told WPBF.
Krakowski and the rest of the crew are hoping to use their groundbreaking accomplishment to raise money for Firefighters to the Rescue Inc., a nonprofit meant to help first responders fighting their own battles.
Sometimes things come together in odd ways… as a father of daughters, I find these incidents of coincidence…Posted by Firefighters to the Rescue, Inc. on Sunday, September 20, 2020
Posted by Firefighters to the Rescue, Inc. on Sunday, September 20, 2020
In a now-viral series of photos, the all-female crew can be seen sporting the shirt of fellow Palm Beach Gardens firefighter Brian Wolnewitz, who was diagnosed earlier this year with stage four lung cancer. Krakowski told WBNS that the 40-year-old father of four never smoked a day in his life. It’s suspected he might have fallen ill from working as a firefighter.
“He’s our driving force,” she said. Read more from Southern Living.
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