Lieutenant (Ret.) Carri Holloway Reflects on Her Service to Madison's East Side

Carri Holloway has been a familiar face on Madison's east side for the better part of 17 years. She spent most of her career at Fire Station 5, located at the corner of Cottage Grove Road and Atlas Avenue, and it felt like home from the beginning.

 

"I love the east side. And even though it's a station that has a lot of Band-Aids on it, I still love this whole house."

 

Holloway began her career with the Madison Fire Department in October 2007. After a short stay at Fire Station 8 following the Recruit Academy, she was transferred to Fire Station 5, affectionately known as "The Nickel." She remained there for several years until her promotion to Apparatus Engineer in 2014. At that time, she became a roving driver, serving at various stations across the city. She was promoted to lieutenant in 2019, and the transition to the role of company officer came with a happy return to Station 5.

 

"I love the territory we have," she said. "When I started, we didn't have Station 13 and Station 14, so our territory was the biggest as far as geography, and we had a variety of every type of call you could imagine."

 

Of all the unpredictable situations that would warrant the help of Engine 5, one of the most memorable happened right inside the firehouse.

 

A couple of parents-to-be were on their way to the hospital, with the mother in labor, and feared they weren't going to make it there fast enough. As the alert tones came across the firehouse kitchen, the crew assembled to respond, only to be told by 911 dispatch that a car would be pulling into their driveway. With the ambulance still returning from another call, it was up to the engine company to face the situation alone. They ushered the vehicle into the apparatus bay.

 

"Sure as crap, she was crowning," Holloway said.

 

With the mother-to-be in the back seat of her vehicle, the crew grabbed every sheet and blanket they could find. Then-firefighter/EMT Vince Soto, a father himself, got behind her to offer support, and Holloway positioned herself to help deliver the baby. Moments later, baby Braden was born. 

 

Braden and his family have visited the fire station on his birthday, and during the holidays, ever since.

 

There were plenty of emergencies that called the crew out of the firehouse, too, even amid treacherous conditions. In the early morning of January 28, 2014, a fire was reported at 314 Atlas Avenue. The winter temperatures were well below zero during Holloway's drive to work that day.

 

"I remember coming into Madison and seeing a big plume of something, and I said to myself, 'That is not steam,'" she said. "My next comment was, 'Please don't let it be in my territory.'"

 

In fact, the fire was located just down the street from Fire Station 5. MFD crews grappled with low water pressure and other challenges posed by the freezing weather. Holloway remembers hauling solid, frozen hoses into one of the warehouses, slipping and sliding along the way on sheets of ice that covered the street. Her crew was assigned to stay on scene for several hours for fire watch and at one point had to use an ax to cut a frozen hose off of a ladder truck.

 

"If I hadn't been cold, tired, and wet, it might've been fun!" she quipped.

 

Holloway came to the Madison Fire Department with some years of professional firefighting experience already under her belt, as well as a Bachelor's degree in teaching. She taught in public school and went on to teach at the community and technical college level. 

 

All of this experience came in handy in her role as a company officer, charged with developing the skills of new firefighters and overseeing the continued education of veteran crew members. Her core principles as a teacher informed her approach as a lieutenant and training officer: to connect with people, understand how they learn most effectively, and cater to their style while keeping basic firefighting concepts at top of mind.

 

"There's teaching to make sure someone passes a test, but I also want to make sure I'm teaching real-world experiences as well," she explained. "I would rather you make a mistake [in the classroom] so that you don't make the same mistake out in the real world."

 

In 2016, Holloway had the opportunity to help the department create a standardized Acting Lieutenant program. The program aimed to deepen the professional development of Apparatus Engineers who are often called upon to temporarily fill the role of a lieutenant. More than just teaching the basics of writing reports or managing communications systems, the Acting Lieutenant program pushes participants to learn how to truly lead a fire/EMS crew, from running training drills to plotting out a 24-hour shift together.

 

Working with the people of the Madison Fire Department is one of the things Holloway loved most about her career. She's also cherished being one of the people who gets to show up for others when they really need help and making a positive difference, the best she can, in somebody's world. 

 

Having retired in April, Holloway is now enjoying a normal sleep schedule, working on projects around the house, and is looking forward to doing more fishing.

 

"I miss the job, I miss the people that I worked with, the calls and the community," she said, "But don't get me wrong— I love retirement. I'm having a delightful time!"