Kassidy Holly is 9 years old and has known for six years exactly what she wants to be when she grows up. Yesterday, the Detroit girl got to test-drive that dream, touring Engine 59 on the city's northwest side and spending a day surrounded by the female firefighters who work there, before walking away with an honorary title of her very own.
The visit was arranged by the Detroit Police Athletic League, which connected Kassidy with the crew for a hands-on look at the job, according to ClickOnDetroit. Kassidy's mother, Kristina Holly, said her daughter's passion for firefighting started early — Kassidy has wanted to become a firefighter since she was just 3 years old. During the tour, she examined firefighting equipment up close and got a real feel for life inside the station.
David Greenwood, Detroit PAL's director of community engagement, said he wanted to make sure Kassidy was in the right circles with the right people to learn about the profession firsthand. That meant putting her directly in front of the women of Engine 59, who led her through the station and introduced her to the gear they use on calls every day.
A Bell Rings, and Kassidy Knows the Answer
At one point during the tour, a bell sounded through the station. Senior Detroit firefighter Naomi Rasschaert asked Kassidy if she knew what it meant — and the 9-year-old answered correctly that the bell signaled the engine. Rasschaert said the visit was meaningful for the crew as well as for Kassidy, a moment that let the women of Engine 59 share their work with someone who already dreams of doing it herself.
The station where that exchange happened has deep roots in Detroit. Engine 59, located at 17800 Curtis Street, was originally established in August 1930 and was built for $43,520.25, according to fire history records compiled by Legeros Fire History. Nearly a century later, it's still an active house — and, for a few hours Thursday, a classroom for one very determined third-grader.
Cheering On the Next Generation, One Career at a Time
Kassidy's day capped off with a formal honor: DFD Community Relations Chief James Harris made her an honorary member of the Detroit Fire Department. For a girl who's spent most of her young life saying she wants to wear the uniform, the title marked a small but real step toward that goal. Kassidy herself said the visit only confirmed her desire to become a firefighter.
Detroit PAL's Team UP Police Mentoring Program is the broader framework behind days like Kassidy's, pairing local youth with police officers and first responders across a dozen sports and enrichment activities meant to build trust between kids and public safety workers, according to organizational filings reviewed through GuideStar. The nonprofit, founded in 1969, now operates out of its $20 million headquarters and youth stadium, The Corner Ballpark, built on the historic former site of Tiger Stadium in Corktown, and serves more than 14,000 local youth annually.
Rare Company: Women in Detroit's Fire Service
Kassidy's introduction to female firefighters comes against a stark national backdrop. Women make up about 9% of all U.S. firefighters, but only 4% to 5% of career, full-time structural firefighters nationwide as of 2025, per data reported by Fire Engineering. That underrepresentation carries practical consequences, too: a 2025 study cited by the National Fire Protection Association found that nearly 80% of female firefighters report wearing ill-fitting protective gear, which raises their injury risk by 33% compared to male colleagues.
Locally, women like Senior Fire Engine Operator Teresa Singleton have worked to widen that path. Singleton, a 25-plus-year DFD veteran named the department's Woman of the Year in 2023, is one of only three women in the city holding her rank and leads the minority firefighter organization Phoenix of the DFD, according to CBS News Detroit.
A Department Actively Rebuilding Its Ranks
Kassidy's tour also lands at a moment when Detroit Fire is actively growing. In May, 45 probationary firefighters from Training Class 89 officially received their badges after completing ten months of academy instruction, EMT coursework, and field rotations — Detroit's newest badged firefighters joined a department that has been rebuilding staffing across its 36 fire stations. The department operates eight battalions and responds to roughly 170,000 emergency calls a year with more than 1,200 sworn members, according to the City of Detroit.
Under Executive Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms, who was permanently appointed in November 2023 after starting as a DFD firefighter back in 1986, the department has posted an average medical response time of 7 minutes and 57 seconds from dispatch to scene, per reporting from The Michigan Chronicle. For a 9-year-old who already knows what the bell means, that pipeline of new recruits — and the women already answering it — is exactly the kind of company she hopes to keep.
