Dani Seipp is the captain of the Milan Fire Department. As captain, she is the highest ranking female in the history of the Milan FD. “I fell in love with the work of fire service when my fiance and I started dating in high school. They had a summer where they were just really busy, and if we were hanging out it was at the firehouse, so before I even joined I learned how to check rigs and do all of the work that was involved with it.”
Dani’s favorite part of the work is collaborating with the local schools on fire prevention education. She recalls a particular demonstration at Cold Spring Early Learning Center last October where they held a teachers versus firefighters obstacle course.
“It’s good team building across the board and I think it was the most fun we’ve had together doing something different. The kids were having such a good time cheering and the teachers actually won, so it was just a lot of fun,” she laughs.
Dani says that being a part of the fire department has changed her in many ways. “I am a completely different person. The fire department is the reason that I have so much confidence now and was able to hone my leadership and communication skills. I’m able to take chances and bet on myself in different ways that I wouldn’t necessarily have been able to otherwise.”
The most rewarding part for Dani is being able to be there for people and serve as a source of comfort for them in a time of need. “You see somebody who had the worst day of their lives that you just happened to be witness to, and they recognize you, or you go to a call and it’s someone you know in trouble and you make eye contact with them and just see them physically relax because you’re there. It just makes it a little bit better for them.”
Dani says that time is the hardest thing to find, and being a volunteer can be difficult at times. However, much of her family is also involved in the fire department, which makes it easier. “Knowing that everyone is going to jump up and be right behind me, or I’m going to be right behind them going out on a call makes a big difference.”
Outside of work, Dani works as a staff coordinator with Nuvance Health and Community Education. “I teach CPR and all sorts of courses to educate people about what they need, which is huge and awesome to be able to do that.”
To learn more about the Milan Volunteer Fire Department or if you’re interested in becoming a volunteer, give them a call at (845) 758-9911 or visit their website at https://milanvfd.org/.
Milan Volunteer Fire Department
900 Route 199, Milan, NY 12571