LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — When you think of a firefighter, typically a man comes to mind, but Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue hopes to change that.
The district made history recently when two women battalion chiefs led a shift.
It's a job where you can't shy away from a challenge, but Acting Battalion Chief Crystal Imsdahl says that's exactly why she loves it. Imsdahl is one of three women in a leadership role for the fire district.
"We met every requirement along the way just the same as the guys, and we've done very well and tried to represent women in the fire service," Imsdahl said.
Watch Lehigh Acres Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades report below:
LAFR says 159 firefighters work in Lehigh, but only seven of them are women, which is 4%.
When Imsdahl and Battalion Chief Brooke Ricciardi realized they were the two battalion chiefs to lead a recent shift, they knew it was a monumental first for LAFR.
"It meant a lot," Imsdahl said. "It was special...because it is a very rare occurrence."
Ricciardi grabbed a quick picture to remember the moment.
"I was actually really excited," she said. "Historically, especially in this county, we don't have a lot of females in supervisory positions, so you know make a little history."
Women in Fire says across the county, only 9% of firefighters are women.
With little representation for female firefighters, Ricciardi says there are doubters, but they prove them wrong.
"Usually, the citizens are like wait a minute you can lift me? And you're like, yeah it's not all brute strength," she said. "Sometimes it's a little body technique and some brains."
The battalion chiefs became the representation they wanted to see as little girls.
Now, through community outreach, they show kids anyone can take on a challenge.
"A lot of women don't even consider this as a job opportunity to begin with, but the ones that are working this field really do tend to love it, so I hope to see more women join," Imsdahl said.
