Hot stuff.

Not everyone can describe running to extinguish a block-sized blaze and stopping at the post office before it closes as "just another day." But Bonnie Bleskachek, the newly appointed fire chief of the Minneapolis fire department and a lesbian mother of two, isn't everyone.

"I ... felt compelled to have an occupation that was meaningful and that challenged me," Bleskachek explains. "Meaningful, for me, meant it had to help people in some manner. I wanted to be challenged both physically and mentally and have the opportunity for career growth."

Firefighting proved to be exactly what she was looking for. After lengthy testing, the former landscaper joined the department in 1989, ascending the ranks over the next 15 years as battalion chief and fire captain and becoming a founding member of the Minnesota Women Firefighters Association. The 41-year-old had been serving as Minneapolis' interim fire chief before her promotion last December to the second highest-ranking position in the fire department, making her the first female fire chief in the state. Her appointment also makes Minneapolis the third largest fire department in the nation to be headed by a woman.

Despite all the focus on Bleskachek's being a female in a male-dominated profession, gender roles have long ceased to faze her. "At this point, I rarely think about being a woman, which is surprising, since the rank I am at now has the fewest women," Bleskachek says. "Quite frankly, while I am aware of the gender politics of being one of few women in this position, I am too busy doing what needs to be done to give it serious thought."

And with good reason. Whether she's fighting a fire, rendering aid on an EMS call, or simply giving directions to a lost passer-by, Bleskachek doesn't have much time to worry about how she measures up to her male crew--never mind the fact that she can bench press 225 pounds, a weight equivalent to that of an adult female gorilla.

But regardless of the politics within her profession, Bleskachek knows that she's found her niche, both as a mother and as a firefighter.

"Balancing parenting and being chief is the most difficult thing I have ever done," she admits. "They are very similar: Neither comes with a manual on how to be successful; neither has many rewards; and both seem a calling."

With the help of a co-parent and her partner, Bleskachek manages a tight schedule between the station and her home. Despite the long hours she tallies at the firehouse, she ultimately ranks her priorities as a family woman first.

"When I retire from this job, few will talk about me within months or remember me within years. My children will remember me all their lives. What I do, or don't do, as a parent will impact them for the rest of their lives."