Firefighter of the Year - Allie Adie

The life of a Firefighter/Paramedic can be a taxing job, both mentally and physically. From 24-hour shifts and calls at all hours of the day to being the first on the scene of emergencies, it takes a special kind of work ethic to tackle the everyday challenges of being a first responder.

What’s even more special is being seen as one of the most enthusiastic and lively members of the Fire Department, and someone who can be depended upon to bring the team together in providing the best possible service to the city.

In March, Firefighter/Paramedic Allie Adie was named the 2023 Firefighter of the Year at the Edina Crime Prevention Fund’s first Public Safety Recognition Banquet. Adie, who has been with the City since 2020, is the first Firefighter in the Fund’s history to be honored with the award.

Growing up in the small community of Milaca, Minnesota, 30 minutes east of St. Cloud, Adie learned the value of hard work and dedication at a young age on her family’s farm. Although she jokes that hitting snooze on her alarm clock often resulted in a rush to throw on her Carhartts and get out the door (which translates to putting Fire gear on quickly), Adie pointed to farming as one of the major contributing factors toward a career in public safety.

“Some common themes in farming include a ton of physical labor and hard work as a team to get stuff done,” she said. “You’re also going to have issues that come up throughout the day, so problem solving is huge.”

Out of high school, Adie planned to begin a career in elementary education and was on the path to entering the workforce when she realized it wasn’t the right fit for her. “It was all so individualized, and I was really starting to miss the teamwork that I grew up around in farming,” she said.

So, when a family member who was working as a firefighter suggested the switch in career paths, she took a chance and never looked back.

Although working for Edina was “always the goal,” Adie got her first experience working as a Firefighter/Paramedic in her home state at Eden Prairie Fire and Mdewakanton Public Safety before moving to Chicago in 2017. For three years, Adie served with the Wheaton and Plainfield, Illinois, Fire Departments in the western suburbs before moving back home to take a job with Edina.

Since joining Edina Fire as the department’s first full-time female Firefighter/Paramedic, Adie has been a major proponent for employee training, both internally and externally. “The way a team succeeds is knowing everyone’s strengths and weaknesses and bringing everyone up, so we’re prepared to help when people are having bad days,” said Adie.

Aside from being heavily involved in training at Edina Fire, Adie also works for Hennepin Technical College in its fire program to help teach students the ins and outs of the profession in a manner that cultivates motivated and enthusiastic candidates. “It’s really fun to see all the excited faces at Hennepin Tech, and to help them achieve their goals has been special,” she said.

Adie’s quest to make the department a more family-oriented workspace is another one of the defining characteristics of her time at the City. Whether it’s helping to plan events that involve connecting families with Fire staff or their nightly team dinners, Adie has emphasized the importance of creating a team environment that embraces everyone.

“We spend about a third of our lives away from home, so it’s really important to find ways to make families feel closer to their loved ones while they’re at work,” said Adie.

Perhaps most impressive, however, is Adie’s bubbly personality and positive attitude in a career field where helping people get through some of their worst days is the norm.

“Allie consistently remains an upbeat partner even through difficult patients, onslaughts of calls or an emotionally taxing call. Allie was described by one of her partners as ‘the voice of encouragement’ and having ‘extreme motivation and dedication’ to ensure that work has been completed – almost certainly going above and beyond to do so,” said Fire Chief Andrew Slama.

“Allie is an all-around team player, team builder and team leader. She goes above and beyond in all aspects, not for her own benefit but for the benefit of the entire team,” said Firefighter/Paramedic Ivan Mazurkiewicz, one of many to nominate Adie for the award. “All the while, she tries to avoid recognition for it, which makes her the most deserving of the accolade.”

“Serving the public is my purpose and my calling in life, and I’m just so lucky to be a part of an amazing team of employees,” she said.

The award was presented at the Public Safety Recognition banquet March 2 in front of her peers and again May 16 at a City Council meeting.The life of a Firefighter/Paramedic can be a taxing job, both mentally and physically. From 24-hour shifts and calls at all hours of the day to being the first on the scene of emergencies, it takes a special kind of work ethic to tackle the everyday challenges of being a first responder.

What’s even more special is being seen as one of the most enthusiastic and lively members of the Fire Department, and someone who can be depended upon to bring the team together in providing the best possible service to the city.

In March, Firefighter/Paramedic Allie Adie was named the 2023 Firefighter of the Year at the Edina Crime Prevention Fund’s first Public Safety Recognition Banquet. Adie, who has been with the City since 2020, is the first Firefighter in the Fund’s history to be honored with the award.

Growing up in the small community of Milaca, Minnesota, 30 minutes east of St. Cloud, Adie learned the value of hard work and dedication at a young age on her family’s farm. Although she jokes that hitting snooze on her alarm clock often resulted in a rush to throw on her Carhartts and get out the door (which translates to putting Fire gear on quickly), Adie pointed to farming as one of the major contributing factors toward a career in public safety.

“Some common themes in farming include a ton of physical labor and hard work as a team to get stuff done,” she said. “You’re also going to have issues that come up throughout the day, so problem solving is huge.”

Out of high school, Adie planned to begin a career in elementary education and was on the path to entering the workforce when she realized it wasn’t the right fit for her. “It was all so individualized, and I was really starting to miss the teamwork that I grew up around in farming,” she said.

So, when a family member who was working as a firefighter suggested the switch in career paths, she took a chance and never looked back.

Although working for Edina was “always the goal,” Adie got her first experience working as a Firefighter/Paramedic in her home state at Eden Prairie Fire and Mdewakanton Public Safety before moving to Chicago in 2017. For three years, Adie served with the Wheaton and Plainfield, Illinois, Fire Departments in the western suburbs before moving back home to take a job with Edina.

Since joining Edina Fire as the department’s first full-time female Firefighter/Paramedic, Adie has been a major proponent for employee training, both internally and externally. “The way a team succeeds is knowing everyone’s strengths and weaknesses and bringing everyone up, so we’re prepared to help when people are having bad days,” said Adie.

Aside from being heavily involved in training at Edina Fire, Adie also works for Hennepin Technical College in its fire program to help teach students the ins and outs of the profession in a manner that cultivates motivated and enthusiastic candidates. “It’s really fun to see all the excited faces at Hennepin Tech, and to help them achieve their goals has been special,” she said.

Adie’s quest to make the department a more family-oriented workspace is another one of the defining characteristics of her time at the City. Whether it’s helping to plan events that involve connecting families with Fire staff or their nightly team dinners, Adie has emphasized the importance of creating a team environment that embraces everyone.

“We spend about a third of our lives away from home, so it’s really important to find ways to make families feel closer to their loved ones while they’re at work,” said Adie.

Perhaps most impressive, however, is Adie’s bubbly personality and positive attitude in a career field where helping people get through some of their worst days is the norm.

“Allie consistently remains an upbeat partner even through difficult patients, onslaughts of calls or an emotionally taxing call. Allie was described by one of her partners as ‘the voice of encouragement’ and having ‘extreme motivation and dedication’ to ensure that work has been completed – almost certainly going above and beyond to do so,” said Fire Chief Andrew Slama.

“Allie is an all-around team player, team builder and team leader. She goes above and beyond in all aspects, not for her own benefit but for the benefit of the entire team,” said Firefighter/Paramedic Ivan Mazurkiewicz, one of many to nominate Adie for the award. “All the while, she tries to avoid recognition for it, which makes her the most deserving of the accolade.”

“Serving the public is my purpose and my calling in life, and I’m just so lucky to be a part of an amazing team of employees,” she said.

The award was presented at the Public Safety Recognition banquet March 2 in front of her peers and again May 16 at a City Council meeting.