Woman Trades Office For Firehouse
The Early Show series My New Life profiles people who have gone through dramatic life changes. Dave Price introduces us to a woman who was once a young corporate up-and-comer but traded her comfy office with water views for a firehouse in Chicago's gritty Cabrini Green neighborhood. It's about as far as you can get from the executive suite in an office building.
Unlike a 9-to-5 corporate schedule, a Chicago firefighter works 24-hour shifts. There is no traditional schedule. Instead of meetings, it's a 1 a.m. kitchen fire on a Saturday — not most people's idea of a good time.
But firefighter Meg Ahlheim can't think of a job she would rather have.
"I just love it, you know. It's not just what I do, it's who I am," says Meg.
Meg graduated from college and began a career in public relations where she worked on award-winning campaigns for Chicago-area restaurant chains. But Meg says something was missing.
"It's really just that simple. I wanted to become a fireman," she says. "It's the same story you'll get if you ask anyone here no matter what they were doing before this. They just wanted to be a fireman."
Meg decided to pursue her dream. Along with 40,000 others, she took the entrance exam. She scored in the top 2,000 but had to wait five years before being called up. She was one of only about 100 select people in her class.
Despite the long wait, Meg says she never gave up on her dream of becoming a firefighter. "Every day, I ran home even faster to check the mail to see if I got the letter, to see if I got notified."
At the academy, Meg quickly earned the respect of her superiors and peers.
"We look for team players and she sure surfaced as a team player immediately," says Chief Steve Chikerotis.
Chikerotis thinks Meg's transition from the corporate world to the firehouse was a "tremendous" accomplishment. "I know how I felt when you come out of the fire academy and you are branded a firefighter. It's like winning the lotto. It's an award."
Meg will be the first to tell you she wouldn't be the firefighter she is today were it not for the support of Mark, her husband of 13 years.
"The city is a safer place when she is working. Those people in there are safer because Meg is doing her job," says Mark.
It's a feeling shared by Meg's crew at the firehouse.
"Meg is very aggressive at her job, she is good at what she does," says Captain Arriel Grey Jr.
What's Meg's advice for people who have life dreams but can't make the transition?
"I don't believe that. I believe you can," says Meg. "I think it's a lot of wasted energy to be afraid or hold back. Don't do anything in moderation. Why are you holding back for what you are waiting for? This isn't a dress rehearsal, this is life."
And being a Chicago firefighter is still something of a rarity for women. Meg is only one of two female firefighters in her house and there are only about 200 female firefighters on Chicago's 5,000-person force.