When Kelley Willemze walked into the Cambridge Fire Department in 1991, she wasn’t just starting a new job — she was making history as the city’s first female firefighter.
She is now retiring after 35 years of service, capping off a career that helped pave the way for future generations in a profession where women were once a rarity.
“I got hired July 1 of 1991, and I was the only woman in the department at that time,” Willemze told CTV News. “It was a pretty big adjustment for everyone.”
Before joining the fire service, Willemze spent years working in other male-dominated industries as both a heavy equipment operator and truck driver. She didn’t know that being Cambridge’s first female firefighter would attract so much attention.
“I didn’t expect it to be such a big deal,” she said. “I didn’t expect to be so visible when I got hired.”
While many of Willemze’s colleagues welcomed her, not everyone believed firefighting was a career for women.
“Some of the guys were great, very helpful, very welcoming,” Willemze recalled. “Some of them were skeptical. Didn’t think it was the best job for a woman.”
Despite the challenges, Willemze said she never wanted to be treated differently because of her gender.
In 1999, she publicly opposed calls to lower physical testing standards for female firefighters, saying women should have to meet the same requirements as their male counterparts.
“I don’t feel that girls are any different and should be singled out,” she told CTV News at the time. “We do the same job. We should be treated the same.”
Willemze eventually earned the trust and respect of her fellow firefighters. Her experience operating heavy equipment also helped behind the wheel of a fire truck.
“You always knew you were getting to the scene. Never an issue with getting water, getting the ladder up,” said Cambridge firefighter Geoff Gaetan. “You could always count on her.”
Just two years after Willemze started her job, the department hired a second woman. Today, there are many more.
Ron Green, captain of the Cambridge Fire Department, said Willemze’s career changed perceptions about who belongs in the fire service.
“She forged her own path, showing that they could do it,” he explained. “There’s [now] more women, more interest.”
Her influence also extended beyond the fire hall.
Gaetan said one of his daughters took firefighting in college and often turned to Willemze for advice and encouragement.
“Kelley helped answer any questions that she had and was very supportive.”
A sign that after 35 years of putting out fires, the trail Willemze blazed for women in the fire service will continue burning long after her retirement.