Badd Axe Ladies

Badd Axe Ladies Badd Axe Ladies is a firefighter experience to help inspire young women to join the fire service

The postings on this site do not reflect the views of the City of Carbondale or any particular fire department. This mentorship program is a collaborative effort within Southern Illinois.

Badd Axe Ladies Skills Weekend - Day 2Day 2 focused on building confidence and applying skills in more realistic conditi...
03/27/2026

Badd Axe Ladies Skills Weekend - Day 2

Day 2 focused on building confidence and applying skills in more realistic conditions. Candidates completed an SCBA confidence course, practiced primary search techniques while locating victims, and worked with fire hoses—learning how to flow water and manage the weight and movement. Also joining us during our 5 year reunion was Illinois State Fire Marshal Michele Pankow, who spoke about her career in the fire service.

The day wrapped up with a live fire drill, where they learned how fire behaves and what firefighters look for during a structure fire.

A strong finish to the final day of the program and a great way to close out the weekend. 🔥💪

Yesterday we were honored to welcome the Illinois State Fire Marshal, Michele Pankow, to our training facility where she...
03/23/2026

Yesterday we were honored to welcome the Illinois State Fire Marshal, Michele Pankow, to our training facility where she spoke about her career in the fire service and rising to lead the organization that oversees the certification of all firefighters in the state. We also welcomed back a few of our former Badd Axe Ladies for our 5 year milestone of the program to see how far the program has developed since they participated. Thank you to State Fire Marshal Pankow for making the trip to Southern Illinois to spend time with us and share your experiences!

Badd Axe Ladies Class of 2026!We're so proud of the hard work and effort these young women put in training this weekend!...
03/23/2026

Badd Axe Ladies Class of 2026!

We're so proud of the hard work and effort these young women put in training this weekend! They chose to challenge themselves drill after dril, and have earned some much needed rest (and no homework tomorrow--sorry teachers, we're giving them a pass 🤷🏼‍♀️)

Thank you to Carbondale McAlister's Deli for donating lunch to our candidates and instructors this weekend!
03/22/2026

Thank you to Carbondale McAlister's Deli for donating lunch to our candidates and instructors this weekend!

Badd Axe Ladies Skills Weekend – Day 1Candidates worked through airpack familiarization (donning, doffing, shifting, and...
03/21/2026

Badd Axe Ladies Skills Weekend – Day 1

Candidates worked through airpack familiarization (donning, doffing, shifting, and dumping), ground ladders, forcible entry, and primary searches. A solid first day focused on building foundational skills and confidence. 💪🔥

03/21/2026

While the highlight to our program, the Skills Weekend, begins this morning, we are sending out a very large "Thank You" to the following businesses for helping to make this program not only possible, but better than we ever imagined 5 years ago:

LION --Loaning bunker gear and helmets.
Sentinel Emergency Solutions --Donating SCBA masks
Dinges Fire Company --Donating nomex hoods and structural firefighting gloves
McAlister's Deli of Carbondale--Donating lunch for candidates and instructors during the Skills Weekend

Your support makes our weekend run smoother, and is much appreciated!

We’ve welcomed all 6 of this year’s candidates into the firehouse over the last week for their ride along/job shadow day...
03/21/2026

We’ve welcomed all 6 of this year’s candidates into the firehouse over the last week for their ride along/job shadow day at the station. Candidates were able to ask questions about the job, ride along in the firetrucks to calls, and observe firefighter training and daily operations. They also got their first opportunity to get in full, personal protective equipment where they learned how to correctly don, operate, and doff an airpack. A big thanks go out to the on-duty crews for assisting with teaching, and cooking lunch for the ladies!

Our Skills Weekend takes place this weekend where candidates will get more comfortable in this gear and learn a variety of basic skills firefighters learn when joining the fire service.

While we've wrapped our Meet the Mentor series, we want to take a second for a special shout out to the men and women th...
03/16/2026

While we've wrapped our Meet the Mentor series, we want to take a second for a special shout out to the men and women that help make this program happen every year.

For those that don't know, the average cost of a firefighter's personal protective equipment, including an airpack and facemask, is between $10,000-$20,000. It takes numerous area departments and sponsors to assemble the equipment these candidates must wear during their live fire training.

The highlight to our program, the hands-on Skills Weekend, kicks off this coming weekend. This takes countless hours of planning, coordination, and volunteering to give our candidates a two-day crash course in firefighting. Every year we welcome in guest instructors, who donate their time and expertise, all because they love the job and passing on their knowledge to the next generation.

Whether you have loaned us equipment, or volunteered your time and given up your weekend, THANK YOU for helping us make 5 years of Badd Axe Ladies possible!

MEET THE MENTORS: Firefighter Krysta BradfordKrysta spent the past decade as a strength coach at different universities ...
03/09/2026

MEET THE MENTORS: Firefighter Krysta Bradford

Krysta spent the past decade as a strength coach at different universities and at the high school level. She decided to pursue her long-held dream of becoming a firefighter and was hired by Carbondale in July 2024. Krysta joined Badd Axe Ladies because she wants to help young women build the confidence and skills to be great firefighters. She lives in Carbondale with her wife, Olivia, and their dogs, Molly & Louie. She enjoys staying active, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with nieces and nephews.
Krysta is pictured below with her nephew, Zeke, visiting the firehouse, and with her wife at her graduation from Peoria Fire Academy.

We kicked off our 2026 program this week with our candidates sizing appointments. This is their first chance to try on t...
03/07/2026

We kicked off our 2026 program this week with our candidates sizing appointments. This is their first chance to try on their firefighting gear, graciously loaned to us by LION. Outfitting a firefighter isn’t one-size-fits-all. And when that firefighter is a woman, the challenges can be even greater. Our Badd Axe Ladies will get very comfortable in this gear, and airpacks, over their 3 days with us.

MEET THE MENTORS: Firefighter Abby BurnhamAfter graduating from Western Illinois University with a degree in Emergency M...
03/02/2026

MEET THE MENTORS: Firefighter Abby Burnham

After graduating from Western Illinois University with a degree in Emergency Management, Abby followed in her dad’s footsteps, and pursued a career as a firefighter. Abby has been a firefighter for 7 years, and is certified as an EMT, Carseat Technician, Fire Service Instructor, Youth Firesetting Interventionist, & Fire Investigator. She also serves as the department’s gear repair seamstress, and remains active in the Carbondale firefighter’s union. Abby helped to co-create the Badd Axe Ladies program so that girls could ask a woman’s perspective on working in a male-dominated field, and to encourage young women that they can do any job they want with a strong work ethic and mentality.
Outside of work Abby enjoys St. Louis Blues Hockey, traveling, and spending time with her nieces and nephews. She is pictured here with niece, Charlie, and visiting Amsterdam last spring!

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