Many things have come unexpectedly this year. As we rang in the New Year, not many people expected 2020 to unfold in the way it has. Before March, the word “zoom” reminded some people of the PBS show they used to watch as a kid, and masks were something most people only saw doctors and nurses wear. None of us expected to spend months isolated in lockdown as we quarantined from the raging global pandemic. No one expected to lose friends, family members and personal heroes.
But many good things have come unexpectedly this year, as well. No one expected “Hamilton,” one of the most popular musicals of our time, to be released on Disney+ so we could sing and pretend to be all three Schuyler sisters from the comfort of our living rooms. None of us could have expected the wholesome video of skateboarding Nathan Apodaca to go viral and for the Fleetwood Mac drummer, Mick Fleetwood, to recreate it. As one can see, the unexpected of 2020 has come in many forms, including an event that has ignited the dreams of young girls and women everywhere.
No one, including the women working the shift, expected to make history in 2020 as Palm Beach Gardens Fire and Rescue’s first all-female fire crew since the South Florida department was founded in 1963. Driver engineer Sandi Ladewski, fire medics Julie Dudley and Kelsey Krzywada, lieutenant Krystyna Krakowski, and lieutenant and acting captain Monica Marzullo were scheduled to work together for the first time on Sep. 18. The day holds great significance in the hearts of many, as it was also the same day Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Supreme Court Justice known for being an advocate of women’s rights, passed away.
These five women have worked as firefighters and EMTs for a long time, having almost 80 years of experience between them. But, never have they worked a shift with only their female counterparts beside them.
A lieutenant and fire medic of 20 years, and a single mom with two children, Krakowski recalled her experience with TODAY. Krakowski explained, “That day, every rank was filled with a female, which was awesome, I’m not going to lie. I was giddy like a little girl. I still am. It’s girl power—we build each other up and we rise by lifting others.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it was reported that only 3.3 percent of firefighters in the United States are women. Because of these numbers, the women aren’t sure if they will be scheduled to work together again any time soon, but Palm Beach Gardens Fire and Rescue’s Krystyna Krakowski is grateful for the impact they could make through just one shift.
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