Autumn Kelso may be small in size, but she certainly isn’t lacking spirit. For the last five years, the diminutive firefighter has braved all kinds of call and calamities in the region around St. Pete Beach in Florida, whether that involves driving around in the wailing red truck, spraying the high-powered water hose, or entering flaming buildings. Despite the tough nature of her job, Kelso isn’t backing down, and this year all her hard work paid off. She was awarded the Guinness World Records title as the shortest firefighter (female) in the world. Standing just 4 feet 10 inches tall — shorter than Napoleon — she officially nabbed the title in January, to the delight of everyone in her firehouse. Autumn decided to become a firefighter after spending her 20s in the corporate world, eventually deciding that life behind a desk wasn’t for her. She never dreamed as a child that she would end up battling flames for a living, but she had some supportive friends working in the service who encouraged her to apply and guided her throughout the process. The rest, they say, is history.
