Serving those who serve: Vestavia Hills community lends support to 2 emergency responders

In the past year, members of the Vestavia Hills police and fire departments have joined with residents to take care of two of their own.

In October of this year, firefighter Jonathan Vickery lost his own home in McCalla to a fire. In the weeks since, his colleagues have picked up his shifts, collected money and started a GoFundMe that has raised nearly $10,000 with the help of numerous city residents. While there is still a long road ahead, Vickery said he wants to thank the people of Vestavia Hills for helping his family.

Police officer Alice Miller was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in October 2021, and over the past year her colleagues have taken up money, brought food to her family and adorned their uniforms and cars with all things pink to support her in her fight.

Jonathan Vickery

For the past seven years, Vickery has risked his life on a daily basis to fight fires, helping serve and protect the residents in Vestavia Hills as a member of the city’s Fire Department.

But in the early morning hours of Oct. 19, he and his wife, LaVonda, faced their own nightmare. Around 2 a.m., they were asleep in their McCalla home when they woke up to the power going out and a sound like rain on a tin roof. The veteran firefighter recognized what was happening immediately.

“I think the house is on fire,” he told his wife.

After getting his wife out of the house safely, Vickery went back in and discovered flames in their bathroom. After calling 911, he closed all the doors, grabbed a water hose and started to spray, trying to slow the fire down. But the fire was spreading rapidly and within an hour their home was fully involved.

Despite a valiant effort from Vickery and the McCalla Fire Department, the home was a total loss.

A Christmas gift Vickery’s son purchased for LaVonda was gone. So too is the bedroom suite LaVonda had just finished setting up the way she wanted. Military history books from Vickery’s grandfather, a Civil War buff, are ruined. Gifts for Vickery’s grandchildren are still recognizable, but they won’t be in any stockings later this month.

“We sat in the truck and watched everything we have disintegrate,” Vickery said. “It took everything we have.”

Thankfully, no one was hurt in the fire. The couple made it out safe, along with their dog, and their 15-year-old son wasn’t home at the time. Vickery has two older sons who live on their own.

While there are no physical scars, the fire was still traumatic, Vickery said. “We both still wake up with nightmares.”

One night, the power cut off in the hotel where they were staying, triggering that same fear all over again.

It will cost about $30,000 just to clear out the debris on their property. At that point, Vickery will determine if the slab is still in good enough shape to rebuild on it, which is what he and LaVonda want to do.

No matter what ends up happening, Vickery hasn’t walked this path alone. During the blaze, Vickery called his battalion chief, Greg Hamrick, to tell him the news. Hamrick arrived on the scene within a few hours. By 7:30 a.m., fire administration had shut down Vickery’s crew, staffed their truck with other personnel and allowed his crew to come help him.

While their home was lost, some items were able to be found, including some family photos and guns in a safe. LaVonda was hoping her rings could be salvaged. Vickery’s colleagues were able to go through the rubble and find them, providing her a big boost, he said.

The city rallied around him and his family and he said the most meaningful help he has been given is the coverage of his shifts by his fellow firefighters so he doesn’t have to use his sick time.

“It’s a very humbling thing,” Vickery said.

Battalion Chief Scott Ferrell said Vickery is family.

“Even though we see it [fires] a lot more than your average person, it still hurts to see someone … go through that,” Ferrell said. “The Fire Department volunteering time and money to help Vickery and others who have gone through challenging times makes it easier to come to work. It’s just a big relief knowing you can count on the people you work with.”

The family has received checks from people they don’t even know, and Vickery said there are still likely some unanswered text messages on his phone from fellow firefighters asking if they can help or offering condolences. Fellow firefighters set up a GoFundMe account to help them financially, with nearly $10,000 raised by mid-November.

Vickery said he’s not sure they would have this kind of support anywhere else.

“The citizens that don’t know me, stepping up to help me and my family out when we need it … it’s kind of hard to explain the feeling you get from that,” Vickery said. “My whole life has been helping people, and now I’m the one that needed that. It’s hard to embrace, but … everybody has to embrace help at some point in their life.”

The next steps for the family are moving into a rental home and trying to figure out if they can rebuild. With so many people looking out for them and offering help, Vickery said they are in good shape.

“I would rather somebody else that needs help get help,” Vickery said.

He also wants people to recognize that this can happen to anyone.

“Fire doesn’t discriminate,” Vickery said. “Now I know what those people I serve feel like.”

As someone who normally does not show emotion and tries to not let situations get to him, Vickery admits he has his moments.

“It opens you up a little bit,” he said. “It sucks. But we’re going to overcome.”

As time moves on, the Vickerys will rebuild their life. At some point, they may even write a book to share their story, Vickery said. Along with the story of the fire itself, the book will be the story of those who helped the Vickerys, from his fellow firefighters to the residents whose names he might never know.

“It’s overwhelming with some of the support that we’ve had,” Vickery said. “You can’t say thank you enough … I’ll never be able to repay what people have done for us.”

The fundraiser for the Vickery family can be found by searching “Helping the Vickery Family” on gofundme.com.

Alice Miller

After seeing her stepfather pass away from colon cancer within a year of his diagnosis, Officer Alice “Ali” Miller admits she was “terrified” when she was told she had breast cancer in October 2021.

“I didn’t know if I would be here this time next year,” Miller said she thought at the time. “All I could see was what my [step]dad went through.”

Miller said she shut down and had trouble focusing and recalled the first time she noticed her hair falling out.

“I ran my hand through my hair, and there was so much hair on my hand,” she said.

Miller started crying and called her husband, who came home and hugged her so tight “you would’ve thought there was an F5 tornado” coming, Miller said.

The first step was surgery to remove the mass, followed by chemotherapy treatments then radiation.

“I told my husband, ‘I didn’t know the human body could still breathe after a burn like that,’” Miller said about radiation.

Miller’s mother and stepmother offered to help. Her husband and colleagues at the department offered to drive her to her chemo appointments, but she said no, in an effort to maintain as much independence as she could.

Miller recently received the news that she is cancer-free and in remission.

While police officers and firefighters are used to solving the problems of others, Miller said they don’t always know how to handle their own.

During her treatment, the department knew they wanted to help in some way. So, on their own, officers got together and shaved their heads in a sign of solidarity. Miller saw it while getting ready one morning and showed it to her husband with tears running down her face.

The department bought bracelets, pins, wristbands and more, engraved with #AliStrong, all to show her she was not alone.

“I am very blessed,” Miller said.

Miller walked into roll call one day to discover her fellow officers had taken up money to give to her and her family. On numerous occasions, officers have given them fruit baskets, food and more, she said.

“What this department did for me mentally was overwhelming,” Miller said.

The outpouring of love has made Miller, who joined the department in 2020, even more committed to Vestavia.

“I’m going to break my neck for this place,” she said. “I love these guys.”

Lt. Mike Keller said the department had empathy for Miller and wanted to help when they found out about her diagnosis.

“It’s always difficult when you hear that news,” Keller said. “We just wanted to be there for her.”

Capt. Shane Ware said knowing officers take care of each other the way they did Miller improves everyone’s job.

“It makes the job and the fact we get to work for this city more rewarding,” Ware said.

Miller became a police officer to follow in her family’s footsteps. Her mother worked in the White House, while her stepfather served President Ronald Reagan as a member of the U.S. Secret Service.

Going through cancer has made her a better officer and a better person, she said. It has allowed her to be more patient, even with those who might be breaking the law. It’s also allowed her to help others, to show empathy and to share her story to encourage someone else.

In October, Miller was stopped in Liberty Park when an older woman out for a walk struck up a conversation with her about changes to rules about golf carts on city roads, now that many streets in Liberty Park have been dedicated to the city. Somehow, the conversation turned to the woman’s husband, who had just been diagnosed with cancer. Miller told her, “You’re going to get through this just fine.”

Since the woman had been gone so long, Miller took her home to make sure her husband knew she was safe. She then had an opportunity to grab his hand and tell him, “You’re going to get through this just like I did.”

On a recent call, Miller encountered a young wife who was worried about her husband, who had had a medical emergency. She calmed her down, told her he would be okay and complimented her two young daughters in the backseat.

“The citizens and the people I’ve run into … they make me want to do my job,” Miller said. “This really has changed me to be a better person. … I want to make a difference on a different level every day now.”