Eighteen years ago, becoming a firefighter was the last thing on Laurie Lamp's mind. But now, having just been named the third female captain in the Bellevue Fire Department's history, she wouldn't have it any other way.
"I can't think of doing anything else," she said. "It's a wonderful second family. It's rewarding and fulfilling work, helping people when they need it the most. When you do something you love, it doesn't feel like coming to work."
Lamp was working in retail sales after finishing college when she was introduced to a fire department recruiter. The recruiter was skeptical of Lamp, telling her she was too short and small for the job. The remark lit a fire in Lamp, who says that she likes to challenge herself and spent the next four years training and testing to be a firefighter.
"I just sort of fell into [being a firefighter], and I think that's unfortunate. I think it's just not a career option that people think of nowadays," she said.
In her formative years for the Bellevue Fire Department, Lamp worked under Jeannette Woldseth — the first paid female firefighter in the state and the Bellevue's first female fire captain — and former Captain Laura Kemp.
The two blazed a trail for other women entering the department that now means Lamp thinks rarely of her gender in relation to her work.
"I worked hard to get where I'm at, and I think it speaks to how progressive Bellevue is as a department," she said. "I don't feel special because I'm the third female captain, I feel special because I'm a firefighter."