Shepard High School senior Diana Burke wants to follow the footsteps of her father and grandfather.
So, Burke joined the Crestwood Fire Cadet program in hopes of becoming a firefighter like them. Her father, Christopher P., is a Crestwood fire department lieutenant and her grandfather, Christopher T. is a retired Chicago firefighter.
Burke said she also joined the program last summer because she wants to help others..
“I joined the program because I want to help people and I knew this would give me the opportunity to do that,” Burke said. “What I like most about the program is that I am constantly learning new information. I love the fact that every time I am at the fire department I learn more.”
The cadets are required to attend training programs and a minimum of 16 hours of engine rides per month. Burke took advantage of her winter break from school and put in 65 hours of ride time for the month of December.
She happened to be working the night of Dec. 30, when a fire call came in at 9:20 p.m. for a senior resident at a 12-unit condo building in the 4900 block of 134th Court. She rode on the engine and arrived on scene with firefighters and paramedics. But because Burke is only 17, she was not able to go into a burning building. Burke, however, assisted with hoses and when the fire was out, she went inside the building to get the medicine of a person who ended up being hospitalized.
Overall, three people suffered smoke inhalation, but only two of them were taken to the hospital.
“When we arrived, there was nothing showing so it seemed like a normal run and then we were told the firemen were going to pull a line and my first thought was, ‘Oh my God this is the real thing,'” she said. “My heart started racing and I helped where I could. Everything happened so quickly and then before I knew it we were back at the firehouse.”
Her father, as the department’s lieutenant, is Burke’s assigned mentor.
“I am so proud of [Diana] and she is so modest about everything, including her amazing accomplishments,” said Kim Burke, the teen’s mother. “I have an intense respect for Diana and a deep feeling of pride and admiration for her not only because of her accomplishments but also for the tenacity she shows when venturing out into the world to take on new adventures.”
Burke has advanced in the Air Force JROTC through Shepard in Palos Heights. She was promoted several times in her first year and ended up being promoted to major cadet and made deputy commander of the entire Corp after only her first year. She is currently a cadet lieutenant colonel and assistant to the senior aerospace instructor. Burke has earned 23 different awards of recognition; some awards she has received on multiple occasions in her last two years in AFJROTC.
She also qualified and joined the marksmanship team and was the only female who made the team. She participated in the Honor Flight Chicago field trips, Book Buddies – reading and making crafts with preschool children — and Color Guard.
Burke likes to thank her parents for her accomplishments.
“I really appreciate my mom and dad’s constant support and guidance,” she said.
Once she graduates and turns 18 in May, she will be given more responsibilities and the fire department will enroll her in the next EMT/Paramedic class that begins in the fall at Moraine Valley Community College.
Upon completion of her certifications, she will then be attending the Fire Academy in Posen to complete her firefighter training.