When Linda Pailet earned the title of fire captain with the New Orleans Fire Department, she became the first female fire captain in the NOFD’s 132-year history. She’s now a 20-year veteran of the department, but being a firefighter didn’t necessarily interest her as a young woman. It wasn’t until an event which forever changed the country that Pailet decided that entering a historically low paying and male dominated field would be her calling. As the U.S. observes Women’s History Month, Pailet shares some of the most frightening and heartfelt experiences while firefighting in her hometown of New Orleans.