Meet Firefighter/EMT Gabby Grandin

Where are you stationed?
At Fire Administration, assigned to EMS Training.

Why did you want to pursue this career?
I grew up playing a lot of team sports and have always enjoyed being on and being part of a team. I also really like staying active and being helpful. Firefighting was a perfect Venn Diagram overlap of all those things—being able to help people, staying active, and being part of a team. 

I learned about the Madison Fire Department from Firefighter/Paramedic Miles Williams during Covid. I lost my job during the pandemic and was talking to him about work opportunities after a hockey game. I said, “Firefighting sounds really cool, how do I get involved in that?” and he said, “You should do a ride-along,” so I scheduled a ride-along at Station 5A. A year and a half later, I graduated from Recruit Academy and my first station assignment was to Station 5A! On my very first day working out of Station 5A, I got to work with Miles!

Why did you want to work in Madison?
I went to middle school and high school in Madison. I left to go get a college degree and play ice hockey for the Bowdin College Polar Bears out in Maine. Then I boomeranged right back here to work at Epic, and I’ve been in Madison ever since.

My ride-along was very informative, and the crew was so welcoming and encouraging that by the time the ride-along ended I was inspired to try and become a firefighter. I took the crew’s advice to heart and began taking Fire and EMS classes at Madison College to gain experience. A lot of the college instructors were MFD firefighters/paramedics, and they told me to apply to the City of Madison to become a career firefighter. They helped me feel confident throughout the whole application and hiring process. I had my sights set on becoming an MFD firefighter – I didn’t apply anywhere else. I put all my eggs in one basket, and it worked out!

What’s been your most memorable experience so far as a firefighter/EMT?
On my third day out of the Recruit Academy, my crew was first in on a house fire that had engulfed the kitchen. Everything I’d spent the last year training for was made real in that moment. All the practice and training had conditioned me such that, in that moment, I knew what to do. There was no headspace for doubt, overthinking, or fear. I trusted my crew, I knew my role, and together we made entry with a hose line and knocked down the fire. That experience, especially that feeling of certainty and confidence going into an emergency, is something I’ll never forget. You always remember your first fire, and I’m grateful my memory is one in which no people or pets were injured and the house was saved.

What do you love about Madison?
I like the community and all of the little sub-communities within it. If you’re looking for a group, chances are it exists. Or if it doesn’t, you can make it happen and grow it into something amazing. I belong to a few hockey groups, a road biking group, and a group fitness class. I’ve made friends skating on the Reservoir Dolls for Madison Roller Derby, through sharing the joy of playing board games and Dungeons ‘n’ Dragons, volunteering at local animal shelters – I even have a group that gets together to celebrate and sample a different fish fry around Madison each Friday. There are groups based on where you live, your racial or cultural background, things you identify with, and activities you enjoy doing. All the new community connections forming around us every day, bringing our community together, is uniquely Madison and what makes Madison so remarkable.