By Courtney Denton and John Bottomley
At 18 she's already helped to fight 35 fires as a volunteer, probationary firefighter with the Naplate Department. And she's continuing the family tradition.
She is Becky Rudnicky, an IVCC student, planning to enroll in the nursing program, and looking at a career as a paid firefighter, an emergency room nurse or deaf interpreter.
Meanwhile, she waits for her pager to go off so she can go to the station, put on her gear and hop onto the truck.
"I like the feeling knowing that I've helped someone and the adrenaline rush that I get on my way to a fire," Rudnicky said.
Based on her history, that feeling comes natural. Her grandfather was on the first board of the Naplate Fire Department. He helped build the station and was one of the first firefighters. Her father and brother are also firefighters in Naplate.
One of her cousins is the Fire Chief in Earlville. Two uncles are on the Grand Ridge Fire Department, and four other cousins are in various departments.
"My family likes the idea that I am a firefighter, that I am going beyond what most people see as a man's career," she said.
Her other career interests also are tied to her family. Her interest in being a deaf interpreter stems from having a deaf cousin, and her interest in nursing comes from her grandfather being in the hospital.
In fire fighting, her brother played an important role. Despite her family history, Rudnicky didn't have the nerve to go in and get an application until her brother encouraged her in September 1999.
To become a probationary firefighter, she had to be approved by two-thirds of the approximately 35 fire fighters, and she attends a fire class in Marseilles once a week. Her probationary period will last a year.
When she's not answering her beeper, attending fire classes or classes at IVCC, she's working at Handy Foods in Ottawa or teaching Sunday school at St. Mary's Church in Naplate. The time she spends with the fire department varies, depending on the demand.
Rudnicky said her age and sex have not been a problem since the Naplate Department has another female firefighter and a couple of male firefighters are close to her age.
She has been elected as the assistant secretary for the Naplate Department, the first probationary firefighter to become an officer. That position requires her to help with meeting notes, mail and records of fire calls.
So far she's been on calls that have ranged from a brush fire to a tire fire. Almost all were in Naplate, but for a few, her department traveled to help other departments. Her first big fire was at a tire factory in Marseilles.
"It was cold, but fun," she said. "I got to meet a lot of people (firefighters) and see different equipment. I also got to witness how teamwork worked.
"Sure, it's easy to get along and work well with a small group of people, but we had a bunch of small groups working as a whole to get a job done. It was challenging, but we accomplished it."