Lindsey Kehler was fascinated by first aid books before she was old enough to read them. Now she’s an emergency medical responder and firefighter with the Niverville Fire Department, with plans to train as a paramedic.
“I’ve always loved medicine,” she says. “I don’t want people to get hurt, or for bad things to happen, but they do, and I want to help on the front line.”
Kehler grew up in Bolivia and moved to Niverville in 2009 as a teenager. After high school, a ride-along experience with her paramedic uncle inspired her to train as an emergency medical responder, and then as a firefighter.
For the past three years, in addition to being a student at Steinbach Bible College, Kehler has worked with the Niverville Fire Department responding to both fire and medical calls. Her pager is on whenever she’s within a four-minute commute of the fire hall. Late-night calls can be stressful, but she thrives on the pressure.
“I do enjoy working in high-stress environments,” she says. “Sometimes we get there and it’s totally different than what we expected, so we always have to be on our toes. There’s an adrenaline rush that helps me think clearly and really focus on the job.”
Another piece of firefighting that Kehler enjoys is the teamwork. The Niverville Fire Department is a close-knit group, she says, and they work hard but also have fun together.
“I remember a bunch of the guys at my very first fire training were teasing me about my boots,” Kehler recalls. “I had these brand-new fire boots, and it was really rainy and muddy, and the guys kept coming up to me and stepping on my boots, telling me, ‘You can’t have clean boots,’ and getting them all muddy.”
It was then, she says, that she really felt like part of the team.
“It’s like having a whole bunch of brothers. Well, and a few sisters, too,” she adds.
Although there are a few women in the department, the vast majority of her colleagues are men. Sometimes she feels she has to work extra hard to prove that she’s on the same level as the men and that she can match their physical strength.
“But that’s not because of anything they’ve ever said,” she points out. That’s just me. It’s never weird. Nobody’s ever been rude about it. We all respect each other. And because it’s like they’re my brothers, we’re always competing in the gym: who can lift the most or run faster? It’s really great.”
In addition to the community within the fire hall, Kehler says that working with the fire department has given her the opportunity to get more involved in town, through the department’s fundraising and volunteering, and of course through responding to 911 calls.
“Everyone on our team enjoys serving and helping our community to the best of our abilities. Even if we have to miss sleep… it’s so worth it.”
