In the public eye: Importance of family meaningful to career for Windham firefighter/paramedic

Editor’s Note: This is another in an ongoing series of Windham and Raymond town employee profiles.

By Ed Pierce

If anyone was ever meant to become a firefighter/paramedic, it’s Katy Dippolito.

Windham Fire/Rescue's Katy Dippolito grew up around
firefighters with her father serving as an Assistant Chief
for Rockland Fire/EMS for 25 years. She became a
firefighter and paramedic too and is also married to
a firefighter. SUBMITTED PHOTO  

Growing up as a firehouse kid, her father was an Assistant Chief for Rockland Fire/EMS for 25 years and he encouraged his daughter to apply for the call division in Rockland once she obtained her EMT-B license.

“I was born and raised in Rockland, graduating from high school in 2004, and initially I went to the University of Maine to study journalism but switched to Kinesiology and Physical Education with the intent of becoming an Athletic Trainer,” Dippolito said. “One of the electives I could do was get my EMT-B license, and that was the starting point of my transition into Fire/EMS. I then transferred to Eastern Maine Community College and enrolled in the Fire Science Program and graduated in 2008 with my degree in Fire Science Technology.”

For the past six years, Dippolito has worked as a firefighter/paramedic for Windham Fire/Rescue and provides fire protection for the community through fire suppression and prevention and education, as well as emergency medical care. She’s also in charge of ordering emergency medical supplies for the department.

She says that several things make her job meaningful to her.

“The first thing is knowing that I can help those in a time of need, whether it is related to a fire, an accident, or an EMS call,” Dippolito said. “The second thing is that every morning you go in for shift, you never know what the day will bring, so there is always some form of excitement every shift. Since we never know what we are going to encounter going to a call, we constantly must think and make decisions on the fly. Some calls can be incredibly simple, while others can become very complex situations that take a lot more work to try to control.”

According to Dippolito, the biggest misconception people may have firefighter/paramedics is that they have no feelings or emotions.

“People need to realize that people in the fire service are human too,” she said. “While most of the people I come into contact with while on the job are more than appreciative of what we do, there have been many occasions of where myself or members of my crew have been berated, verbally and unfortunately, sometimes physically assaulted, etc., but we will always treat you with the utmost respect because we know that a person is calling in a time that is the worst moment of their life.”

Her most memorable moments working for Windham Fire/Rescue include a deer rescue at Chaffin Pond with the late Deputy Chief John Kooistra and another emergency that happened last fall.

“In November 2025, I was able to deliver a healthy baby boy in the back of Ambulance 23 with Paramedic Reed Gilbert, Firefighter/EMT Liam Stewart, and Firefighter/EMT Brady Bowen,” Dippolito said. “Many providers can go their entire career and never get to experience a delivery, let alone in the back of the ambulance.”

Dippolito said that while members of Windham Fire/Rescue’s primary job is to provide fire protection and emergency medical care, there are so many other things that firefighters must be able to do. 

“It’s almost like a ‘jack of all trades’ mindset,” she said. “We must have an understanding about building construction, electricity, vehicle mechanics, plumbing, etc. because we could be initially called for any one of these problems.”

The most important thing Dippolito says that she has learned while working for Windham Fire/Rescue is the importance of family.

“Working in the fire service, you will gain a second family,” she said. “I know that two days a week, I am going to go work with people who I consider family. This job has been able to let me work with people whom I consider brothers and sisters that I would do anything for, and I know they would do the same for me. We go through some of the worst experiences a person can go through together, and we all know what we can count on each other for support if needed.” <