VIDEO: A new book is celebrating the diverse strengths that women bring to the Chicago Fire Department.
Retired veteran firefighter Cat Renar has spent the past eight years compiling "Chicago Strong: The Real Women of Chicago Fire," a coffee table book that highlights the contributions and experiences of female firefighters and medics. "The women on this job are really what inspired me," said Renar, who served with the CFD for 20 years. "I was actually cross-trained as a firefighter/medic. I left — retired from the job as an engineer, as a driver."
Renar's career took her across Chicago, starting on the West Side before moving to the South Side and the North Side, eventually concluding near downtown at Engine 14.
The book began as a smaller project.