After 35 years of dedicated service, Cambridge's first female firefighter retires

A trailblazer for her time, Kelley Willemze is retiring from the Cambridge Fire Department, closing out a remarkable career that helped shape the department and inspire another generation of women.

In 1991 Willemze was looking for a new career. Something steadier than the seasonal work she had been doing, that would allow her to spend more time with her young son. She saw a newspaper ad from the City of Cambridge looking to hire probationary firefighters and decided to apply. After passing a physical test, and a round of interviews, Willemze was hired as the first female firefighter in the Cambridge Fire Department.

“It was a bigger deal being the first female hired on the Fire Department here than I expected it to be.” Willemze said. “I found it tough to be in the spotlight so much when I first got hired. I felt there was already enough pressure being first, and I didn't want any previous recruit classes or any of the guys that I came on with to feel any kind of resentment at the attention I was getting. I didn't really want the attention, I just wanted to come on and blend in and do my job and not cause any waves. So, it was it was kind of tough.”
Before starting at CFD, Willemze had worked in other male-dominated fields, such as construction work, as a snowplow operator, and mechanical work.

 
“It wasn't a big change for me, but it was for them. And so it became a big adjustment for both of us,” she said. “Every day I felt I had to prove my worth and that I was capable. And I never really lost that feeling.”
Willemze says a career highlight was when she completed her first class exams, three years after she was hired. “That was when I finally allowed myself to think ‘I did it.’ I became a firefighter and I was starting to get comfortable with my ability, and the guys were getting more comfortable with my ability.”
She became a vital member of the team.

 
“I appreciated over the years that if I needed something, I could always count on Kelley,” said Geoff Gaetan, a fellow firefighter at Station 6. “Kelley was there through my low times and highs, and she actually has come out with us, with the family.”

“She is easily one of the most kind, caring, selfless people I know and has been a trailblazer for women in the fire service and at the Cambridge Fire Department,” said Brent Grein, president of the Cambridge Professional Firefighters Association. “She has the fortitude to always do what's right and say what's right. Sometimes it might not always be the most popular, but she'll say it to benefit others as well, which is why she's been a major asset to our association and the fire department.”

Willemze saw a lot of changes over the past 35 years. She said firefighters train constantly, as equipment was updated or invented and put into use.

 
“Having done all the positions for three decades, probably my favorite would be driving. I love driving the truck. But I sure do like being first in on the nozzle too.”

In retirement, Willemze is looking forward to being able to spend more time with her aging parents, travel, and get out on the farm and ride her horse more often, but she says it will be hard to leave the job behind.
“I was grateful when I got hired because this job filled everything I was looking for, what I didn't expect, and really felt good about and was really grateful for afterwards was the sense of purpose that this job gives you as a first responder, and as the person that they call whenever they need help, you know, often on the worst day of their lives, and they're always happy to see us. That sense of purpose is what makes retiring so difficult… It's a really hard profession to leave emotionally. I'm going to miss it. It's a great job.”

“It's been fun over these years. We'll miss her,” said Ron Green, who was Willemze’s Captain at Station 6. “I've learned a lot. Made me a better person here, and off the job. She'll be greatly missed.”

The City of Cambridge thanks Kelley for her decades of service, and wish her all the best for her retirement.