Middletown’s only female firefighter: ‘I like the adrenaline rush’

Middletown’s only female firefighter comes with a strong endorsement from Chief Paul Lolli: “Don’t mess with her.”

That’s because Celine Schank, one of the seven firefighters pinned Friday morning during a ceremony at Fire Headquarters, was the third female in the last 20 years to pass the stringent physical agility test, Lolli said.

Schank, 24, a 2015 Lakota West High School product, graduated from Butler Tech Fire Rescue Academy in 2020 and for the last five months has worked part-time for the Stonelick Twp. Fire Department. She was encouraged by some friends and fellow firefighters to apply for a position in Middletown.

She and the other six candidates recently completed their five-week mini academy, Lolli said. On Friday morning, they toured Cleveland-Cliffs, formerly AK Steel. Lolli called seeing the inside the steelmaker “eye-opening” because of the intense heat.

Schank said she was drawn to Middletown Division of Fire because it’s a full-time position and the city has heavy industry and new and old housing stock.

“Lots of opportunities to learn,” she said.

She is the first firefighter in her family.

“I like the adrenaline rush and it’s something different every day,” she said after the pinning ceremony. “You have to be prepared for the worst.”

That’s not what her parents, Thomas and Anke Schank, who were sitting across from her, wanted to hear.

“As a parent you never stop worrying,” her mother said. “We worry every day.”

Lolli told the family members who attended the ceremony that the goal is to get the firefighters home safely after each shift.

“That’s what it’s about,” he said.

He encouraged the candidates to serve 25 years as firefighters until they’re eligible to retire. What he doesn’t want is a firefighter who works one year 25 times.

“Build on your experience,” he told them. “Strive to learn and be better every day.”

Fire officials said throughout Butler County they have pushed for more diversity among their staffs. Less than 5% of career firefighters across the country are women, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

Numbers throughout the county are similar. Of the 10 Butler County fire departments the Journal-News contacted, 27 of the 614 part- and full-time firefighters, or 4%, are females.

The association said female firefighters also face added mental stress from gender discrimination, plus an increased risk of miscarriage and other reproductive problems from repeated exposure to smoke and other toxins.

Two of the seven new Middletown firefighters are second generation. Isaac Steinbrunner was pinned by his father, Todd, a captain, and Josh Patton was pinned by his father, Brian, a lieutenant.