Firefighters Travis Foster, Van Weelden, Wichmann, and McFarlane make nachos for dinner at the Cedar Rapids Central Fire Station on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. Wichmann said the people she works with are what makes the job so special. “The guys and gals that I work with on the daily through my volunteer experience and my professional firefighting experience are the ones that make the job,” Wichmann said. “Just cooking dinner together and running these calls together, doing things outside of the job. It’s fulfilling, and I wish everybody could experience something like it.”

Finding a support system

February 14, 2023

Popelka said female firefighters need to have a solid support system to do a job in a male-oriented field.

Wichmann works out at the gym inside the Cedar Rapids Central Fire Station on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. (Grace Smith)

Both Popelka and Kunkle said their husbands and children are supportive of their career paths, and they are grateful to have that backing.

“[My husband and children] are my biggest cheerleaders,” Kunkle said. “They’ve always been really proud of me, and that makes it a lot easier when I’d have to leave for 24-hour shifts and not be able to see them, or if I’ve missed a holiday or birthday or an important event.”

Wichmann said she’s appreciative of her niece and nephew, who she cares so deeply for, and wants to be a role model for them as she works in the fire service.

“I want them to be able to have the mindset that they can do anything. They can be anything,” Wichmann said.

Kunkle said not a lot of young girls think about being firefighters when they grow up because they don’t see that female representation often.

Wichmann and her coworkers walk around the Cedar Rapids Central Fire Station on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. That day, the shift members didn’t receive many calls, so the team walked around the station numerous times to cure their cabin fever. (Grace Smith)

“I think it’s really important for them to see me and Megan and Julie out there so that maybe [firefighting] is something that will pop into their mind,” Kunkle said.

Wichmann said, despite the challenges of being in the fire service, the people she works with and the community she works in make the job worth it.

“The guys and gals that I work with on the daily through my volunteer experience and my professional firefighting experience are the ones that make the job,” Wichmann said. “Just cooking dinner together and running these calls together, doing things outside of the job. It’s fulfilling, and I wish everybody could experience something like it.”