Fresh faces settle in at Vestavia Hills Fire Department

The Vestavia Hills Fire Department has added some new faces to its roster of firefighters in the last year. Vestavia Voice sat down with three of these new firefighters to get to know them and their stories.

JERVARIS ROBERTSON

Jervaris Robertson had plans to go to medical school and become an emergency room doctor. He was told it would help his application if he had some volunteer hours, so he decided to be a volunteer firefighter in Center Point.

But as he began spending time fighting fires, responding to emergencies and hanging out with other firefighters, he realized he had found his true calling.

“Being around the guys, the camaraderie, the calls … I really liked it,” Robertson said.

He started volunteering with Center Point in 2007, went through medic school in 2011 and has been with the Vestavia Hills Fire Department for about six months.

“It’s fun, definitely, with the right crew,” Robertson said.

The crew “eats, trains and prays” together, making the work more enjoyable, he said.

Robertson said he enjoys doing technical rescue for the Fire Department, which includes using advanced tools and resources to help save lives. “It doesn’t even seem like work,” he said.

Robertson said the opportunity to do more technical rescue work is one of the reasons he joined the Vestavia Hills department, and he loves it so far. “You couldn’t ask for a better group of people.”

Robertson lives in Odenville with his wife and two daughters.

CALEB ANDREWS

Caleb Andrews has been a firefighter for more than five years and joined the Vestavia Hills Fire Department in July from another department.

While routines are pretty much the same at any department, Andrews said he is enjoying his time in Vestavia and was drawn to the city after city leaders decided to offer Tier I retirement benefits to Tier II employees (all employees hired after Jan. 1, 2013). With the change, made possible by a 2019 law passed by the Alabama Legislature, Andrews is now looking at a 25-year career as a firefighter, as opposed to a 36-year career.

“That was a huge draw,” Andrews said.

Like Robertson, Andrews began his firefighting career by volunteering and went through EMT school and firefighter school.

“I love the job,” Andrews said. “Most everybody that does [firefighting] genuinely, actually enjoys their job.”

Andrews said he and the other firefighters enjoy being a resource for so many in the city.

“We all enjoy being a helping hand to people and making a difference in their lives,” he said.

A typical day for Andrews involves putting gear on the trucks, checking and washing the trucks, doing inventory, cleaning the station and other duties as assigned. Firefighters will often work out as well, always ready for the call to go help someone. When that call comes, firefighters have 90 seconds to get in gear and get out the door.

“There’s definitely an adrenaline rush if you’ve got a confirmed fire,” Andrews said. “We want to be the ones to be there and make a difference.”

Andrews said at some point he wants to start working on his bachelor’s degree, possibly in fire sciences.

EBEN LEEMAN

Eben Leeman came to the Vestavia Hills Fire Department in March and is coming up on his one-year anniversary with the department. He said the city has lived up to its reputation.

Leeman, who worked in Gadsden for the past 3½ years, said he always heard how great it is to work for cities in the Birmingham area, and Vestavia has indeed been a great employer so far.

“It’s a great place to work,” he said. “All of our administration is really helpful.”

Leeman’s said his decision to become a firefighter was random. He took the firefighting test in Gadsden, passed and went to rookie school. Leeman, who has played sports his whole life, said he enjoys helping people and the camaraderie that comes from working in a fire department.

“It’s pretty intense at first,” he said.

The city has helped him and other firefighters by providing training to improve their skills, and he said he continues to learn more about the city.

Leeman is married and lives in Springville.