Some Like it Hot

These women really do like it hot. They like it so much, in fact, that they helicopter into mountain blazes, rappel down burning buildings and crash through flaming floors. They do it for the adventure, the camaraderie and the pure thrill of saving lives. Off the job, they bungee jump, scuba dive, rock climb, hunt sharks or hone karate moves. They are the kind of women you wouldn't mind sharing a foxhole with or having at your back in a tough bar. They are the best possible outcome of dialing 911.

Donna Lee Pruett, a firefighter and emergency medical technician in central Florida, set out to be a paramedic before being bit by the fire bug.

"It was such a high to do this. I thought, Forget the paramedic stuff. I just want to be a firefighter," says Donna. "You're in there with this fire. It's just like Backdraft. It is a living, moving, breathing thing. It walks right up the wall in front of you and onto the ceiling. It's awesome."

Ah. Young women and fire.

Make no mistake, these are the femmes facing fatalities, women who taste smoke, tote heavy gear and take every risk. "It gets hot," says Pruett. "And if you're not careful and you stand up in a room that's burning, you can singe your ears."

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Tracy Trautman, who is a volunteer firefighter in rural Pennsylvania, once watched from a half block away when a gas station fire blew up like a bomb, dusting her with cinders. "It looked like the whole place just flew up into the air and came right back down," Tracy says. With four women and 18 men in her all-volunteer department, she feels right at home. "We're like a big family," says Tracy, who lists her occupations as barmaid and volunteer firefighter on official forms. "There's a bar set up right here in the firehouse to help raise money for new equipment."

Amy Jorgensen, from Washington, spent a year on a Hot Shot crew, an airmobile squad that choppers into the heart of the worst blazes in Alaska, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. These fires take days to beat. Hiking out after one 36-hour shift on a smoky, pine-dotted hillside, Amy tore ligaments and cartilage in her knee when an embankment gave way under the weight of her 60-pound pack.

For most people, it would have been easy to quit after such an accident. Not for Amy. That would be like keeping her off skis or her mountain bike. A natural athlete who juggled varsity volleyball, basketball and tennis in high school, she graduated to the flames. "It's all part of an attitude of adventure and fun. I'm constantly seeking new challenges," she says. Amy likes seeing her colleagues emerge from their firecoats black with soot. After the fire, the crew goes barhopping. "We work hard and we play hard," she says.

Traci Jai Isaacs, who comes from a family of firefighters "with the safest house on the block," started as a volunteer in a fire company at the age of 17 because she thought it would be interesting. That was seven years ago. "I've gone through floors," says Traci. "I've been on roofs that were wavy, and I've been punched in the face by a drug addict. I've worked on a hostage situation." In a burning-building exercise, the air got so hot it boiled the water sprayed from the hoses on the concrete floor.

The male firefighters can be another obstacle: "You must prove yourself over and over again," says Traci. "It doesn't matter how many years you've been there. It's still a boys' club."

Heather Ashli, another Florida firefighter, craves the excitement her job offers. "I live on the edge and I like to take chances. I have found my niche in life."

Heather says fire alarms give her a warm feeling. "Your adrenaline gets going. It's great," she says. A vegetarian who pumps iron, Heather finds her job's physical demands undaunting. For practice, she executes a rope rescue, which requires her to climb out of a four-story building in full gear using only a rope and an entrenching tool.

There is a word in the dictionary that defines these women and it's not one of the obvious ones, such as luminous or radiant. The word is annealed: strengthened by flame.