SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Women are often outnumbered in the firefighting industry, but one woman didn’t let that hold her back from having a remarkable career spanning four decades at the Sacramento Fire Department.
Assistant Chief Kim Iannucci shared a photo of herself from 1981.
“I’m standing in front of our open cab engine that we used to train on. We were in light blue shirts at that time. I’m 21 years old and there were actually two other women in the academy. It was a very small academy of 12, so 25% of us were women at that time which is very unusual," Iannucci said.
Iannucci has had many promotions throughout her career. She recounted 14 years into her career she was promoted to captain. Later, she remembers being promoted to battalion chief, describing it as “a very exciting day.”
Now 40 years later, she is the longest-serving and highest-ranked female firefighter at the Sacramento Fire Department. She currently oversees the Diversity Outreach and Recruitment Division at the Sacramento Fire Department.
“The biggest thing is letting young women know they can have a career in the fire service. We still only have 2% or 20 women in our department,” Iannucci said.
Her main goal right now is revamping the Paramedic Internship Program. Of course, she wants to see more women apply.
“Young people within our own community will have the opportunity to have their education paid for while we support them through their education process and give them 20 hours a week of part-time work," Iannucci said.
She said she can only hope the next generation falls in love with a career in firefighting as she has.
“For me, it’s been the best job ever. The men I work with are great allies, they’re very supportive, they want to see us succeed," Iannucci said.
Iannucci said with a big smile that she still loves coming to work every day.
“The work that I’m doing now is a different kind of work that has a high impact on changing the face of our fire department and ensuring that we’re more representative of the community we serve and that inspires me and makes me really proud," Iannucci said.
There are 20 spots for the Paramedic Internship Program. They’ll hire at least once a year as people get through the program. For more information, visit the website.
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