Amanda Karduck was born in 1981 and lived in the Nordonia Hills community. She was a second-generation firefighter. Her parents met while serving on the Northfield Center Fire Department.

In 2000, Amanda graduated from Nordonia High School, receiving recognition from both the Akron Beacon Journal and Cleveland Plain Dealer. She earned a Bachelor of Communication from Eastern Michigan University in 2004, and a Master of Public Safety Leadership and Administration from Arizona State University in 2021.

While in high school, Amanda earned 12 varsity letters in basketball, soccer, softball, and track and maintained the highest GPA on each team. She was inducted into the Nordonia High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. While attending Eastern Michigan University, she was a founding member of the Women’s Division 1 Rowing Team, earning three letters from 2001-2005.

Following an EMT course in 2004, Amanda developed a passion for the firefighting/EMT profession and went on to complete her Fire and Paramedic certifications. She began her career with the Northfield Center Fire Department in 2006 and later went on to make history by becoming the first female firefighter in the City of Painesville in 2008. In 2017, she was sworn in as lieutenant and became the first female officer of the Painesville City Fire Department. She shunned the attention and preferred to make a name for herself strictly on her merits. Amanda was respected by both peers and officers as an excellent firefighter and employee. She was in charge of the Juvenile FireSetter Counseling program and the Fire Investigation Team. During her career, Amanda received two Life-Saving Medals (2011, 2018), Firefighter of the Year (2014), a Unit Citation (2017), and an Exemplary Service Award (2018). Amanda opened doors for other women who aspired to join the fire service, and she touched innumerable lives during her career.

Amanda retired from the fire service in 2022 and went from fighting fires to fighting occupational cancer. The Painesville City Fire Department was an important part of her life, and she deeply missed being part of it. Between treatments, Amanda enjoyed watching Ohio sports in the company of family and friends, trips to various destinations in the U.S., visiting national parks, hiking, and kayaking. Her orange kayak was her Happy Place. Her legacy of bravery, commitment, and unconditional love will live on well past her 42 years, carried by those who were fortunate enough to receive the gift of her friendship. She gave cancer hell and lived life.