Chicago's firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics help resident through some of their worst moments, and our female first responders bring a special strength to an incredibly demanding job.

In an emergency, all you want to know is that someone is coming to help. Cat Renar, who spent 20 years with the Chicago Fire Department, said the women serving the city play a special role.

"I love being an engineer because I love driving the engine," she said.

Renar was often behind the wheel of the fire engines responding in the streets of Chicago, but she also spent much of her two decades with CFD working as an EMT.

"I worked with someone who was a paramedic," she recalled. "I decided to take a class to see if I liked being a medic."

In that role, she provided care and comfort on people's worst days.

"I was absolutely smitten, it was a natural skill that I have," Renar said.

And while she never questioned that skill, others did.

"I always felt like I had to re-prove myself over and over on the fire side," she said. "Not so much on the EMS side.

She said that in a field where few on the force are female, there are simply a lot of people who are uncomfortable with women on the job.

Still, the self-described bossy, adaptable and empathetic paramedic wasn't deterred.

"It took me a long time to figure out that I had to focus on the people who did understand, and did accept me as a firefighter, instead of focusing on the negative," she said.

For positivity, she often looked to other women in the department. And that gave her an idea for something to do off the clock.

"That's actually a major part of my life story, is being creative, and I just kept looking for way to express it," said Renar.

She found it in photos of her fellow first responders, women who bring humanity on every call.

"I wanted to showcase people's strengths," she said. "The empathy part is overlooked by a lot of people, but we bring a different aura to the department."

Renar is the writer and photographer behind "Chicago Strong: The Real Women of Chicago Fire," a coffee table book celebrating the women who work for the Chicago Fire Department.

It features 20 women, like District Chief Deborah Summer.

"It's not as easy. Ginger Rogers; we danced backwards in heels and still have to make it look better," Sommer said.

She's loved her work in EMS for the past 35 years, but she won't sugarcoat what it took to get there.

"The expectation is that you won't be able to do the job," she said.

But Sommer did and has, blazing trails while she was at it. Those ripple effects are mirrored in the sculpture Renar captured for her photo spread.

"We're moms, we're ballerinas, we're advocates, we're artists, we're businesspeople," Sommer said. "But it's interesting how [Renar] sees me and how other people see me."

"A sisterhood," Renar said. "A sisterhood, and that's what I wanted to emphasize in this book."

That bond remains for Renar, who is now retired. And through the book she hopes to foster that sisterhood in the next generation of women who come through the academy.

"People will read into it what they want to, but I hope the younger generation takes from it that they're worthy, they can do whatever they want," Sommer said.

A multifaceted force, who show their strength through dancing, baking, raising families and more, all while they fight fires, save lives and drive that ruck.

"It's a love letter to women on the job," Renar said.

Renar made sure to get a range of women, from some who had been with the department only a few years to veterans. Each has a unique hobby, story to tell or challenge they've over come while being part of CFD.

To purchase "Chicago Strong: The Real Women of Chicago Fire," email Cat Renar at chgostrong@gmail.com.

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