When Natashia Kirch was nine years old, a fire tore through a nearby apartment in her Somerset Circle neighborhood in Madison, claiming the lives of five children. The tragedy seared itself into her memory and quietly shaped the course of her life.
“Since that day, I wanted to be a firefighter,” Kirch said.
Life, however, had other plans—at least at first. After high school, she took on odd jobs to make ends meet. Soon she welcomed her first child. When her son’s father died just three years later, Kirch needed a stable way to support her family.
She became a certified nursing assistant and began working at a memory care facility in Verona.
“I chose to work in memory care because those patients didn’t have a voice,” she said. “I could make sure every day they were having their best day.”
Over the next decade, she rose through the ranks, eventually serving as director of the facility. She built strong relationships with residents and their families, guiding staff and advocating for compassionate care.
Yet even as she thrived in leadership, the childhood dream of becoming a firefighter never faded.
One conversation reignited it. A Madison firefighter she met through work encouraged her to pursue the path she had once imagined for herself. By then, her son was preparing to graduate from high school. Kirch realized the timing finally felt right.
She enrolled in fire training at Madison College’s Fire Service Education Center. Transitioning into such a physically demanding field later in life required preparation. To ensure she was in peak condition, she trained for and completed the 2019 Ironman Wisconsin, an extraordinary testament to her discipline and resilience.
That December, Kirch joined Madison’s Fire Station 3 as a firefighter. At the same time, she continued her education in the Madison College Paramedic Academy, expanding her ability to serve in emergency situations.
“I wanted to create a platform where I could make a difference in the community,” she said.
Today, she works at Fire Station 6, just off Fish Hatchery Road, near the very neighborhood where she grew up.
Each day across Madison’s 14 fire stations, nearly 100 staff members stand ready to respond to emergencies. They handle everything from minor vehicle accidents to life-threatening cardiac arrests. For Kirch, every call represents an opportunity to help.
“The best part of my job is working in the community, helping others,” she said.
Serving in her own childhood neighborhood adds another layer of meaning. Residents see someone who understands their community.
“It builds immediate trust when you see people who look like you,” Kirch explained. “There have been a number of calls where people prefer to speak with me and find comfort in my presence.”
That trust can be powerful in moments of crisis. At the same time, the job carries emotional weight. Like all first responders, Kirch faces the heartbreak of loss and the difficulty of calls involving children. To sustain her work, she prioritizes balance and mental well-being.
“You have to find healthy ways to escape and cope,” she said.
One meaningful outlet is her volunteer work with Sable Flames, the Black firefighter charity and support group within the Madison Fire Department. Now serving as chair, Kirch is helping lead a revitalization of the organization. Originally formed in the 1990s after the Somerset fire, Sable Flames is rebranding to meet the evolving needs of the community and department.
“Sable Flames represents power and resilience,” she said. “One of our goals is to get more Black firefighters on staff here in Madison.”
Kirch actively advances that mission through education. In addition to her work with the Madison Fire Department, she teaches firefighter courses and EMS, EMT and paramedic classes at Madison College. As the only Black female fire/EMS instructor there, she recognizes the importance of visibility.
She shows her students—through both words and example—that they can pursue ambitious goals without compromising who they are. Her presence in the classroom broadens perceptions of who belongs in the fire service and opens doors for the next generation.
Kirch is also pursuing a master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis on fire leadership from UW-Oshkosh. She is on track to graduate in December and hopes to become a full-time instructor and join Madison College’s leadership team.
When she shifted careers seven years ago, she did not anticipate how the new schedule would create space for even bigger aspirations. Achieving her childhood dream did more than fulfill a promise to her younger self, it expanded her vision of what was possible.
Today, as a firefighter, paramedic, educator and nonprofit leader, Kirch transforms that early heartbreak of a tragic apartment fire into action. She protects her community and mentors future first responders while championing representation within her profession.
In doing so, she not only lives out her dream—she inspires others, especially women and people of color, to pursue theirs with courage and conviction.
