Charleen Foott felt lost in life.
She found herself again through working with the Wolfskin Volunteer Fire Department. Foott is now the only female fire chief in the county.
Foott began working with the department after losing her job at a call center 20 years ago. She was appointed chief two years ago.
“My neighbors were always hounding me that they needed members in the fire department, and this was the perfect opportunity because I was feeling lost and they needed people,” Foott said.
As chief, Foott is the liaison between the community and the station, training new volunteers and is the contact point for any issues and much more. Foott also has worked to lower the ISO rating.
Foott's work has been dedicated to creating a new vision for the Wolfskin department, improving the facility and bringing in new volunteers. She’s also worked on finding grants and discussed new funding opportunities with help of the station’s firefighters.
“Charleen, as she shared a vision that a lot of the other members of this station had, was given the opportunity to step up and help make that vision come to fruition,” said Cody Gibbs, assistant chief at Beaverdam Volunteer Fire Department.
As the only female fire chief in the county, Foott is a testament to women who want to be involved in the fire department and advance into leadership roles.
“It sheds a good light that we're not going to discriminate against anybody,” Gibbs said. ”Volunteer service is something that's been suffering for a very, very long time. It's hard to find volunteers. And if a woman wants to volunteer, there's absolutely nothing holding them back from doing that.”
Foott said she follows in the footsteps of Phyllis Jackson, another woman who was the chief of Wolfskin for many years. Jackson is described as paving the way for female fire chiefs throughout the county.
“Having a woman in leadership kinda helps encourages people, ladies who want to get involved and do more for their community,” Gibbs said. “And it's a good role model to follow.”