If Natalie Bruce had it her way, she'd be a firefighter. But since arthritis restricts the 25-year-old student's ability to move and lift heavy weights, she does the next best thing in her eyes - she extinguishes firefighters' hunger for baked treats.
About once a month since March, Bruce bakes up brownies or cookies and drops them off unannounced at a fire station, with the goal of eventually hitting all 22 Tucson Fire Department stations. It's Bruce's way of showing her appreciation for those whose job is to keep others safe.
"I don't think people are doing enough for the Fire Department and police," Bruce said. "They risk their lives every day, but sometimes they get bored and need something to cheer them up when things aren't going on and they don't get many calls."
Bruce said most firefighters are appreciative. Some give her tours of their stations or call her afterward to thank her.
People are also reading…
"We're always appreciative of the community any time they want to show appreciation for what we do," Capt. Mark Maibauer said.
Maibauer greeted Bruce Wednesday morning when she dropped off a couple dozen chocolate chip cookies to Fire Station 5 at 2835 E. Grant Road.
He said his colleagues have to be careful about how many fattening foods they eat.
"You have to limit the amount of cookies that you take in, and you have to spread them around so everybody has one or two," he said.
The work that police officers and firefighters do touches Bruce on a personal level.
"They've saved my life twice," Bruce said, recalling how she woke up one day in 2004, severely dehydrated from food poisoning, and called 911. Bruce said that in 2003, she suddenly felt weak and called an ambulance to the rescue - that time she stayed in the hospital for 15 days and recovered before doctors could diagnose her problem.
A diagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at age 13 convinced Bruce that she couldn't handle the physical rigors of joining a fire department. Her swollen knees and wrists keep her in constant discomfort.
"I'm in pain constantly, but I have medication for that, and I hide it pretty well," she said.
She's studying to become a medical coder at L S Coding & Education and plans to apply with the Tucson Fire Department for a clerical job.
Faculty concerned about changes to U of A admissions policy
