George is 2nd female firefighter in department history
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Valerie George, a firefighter and emergency medical technician with the Vestavia Hills Fire Department, sits on the ladder of a truck at Station 1. George joined the department in May and is continuing training.
When she was young, Valerie George would come by the Vestavia Hills Fire Department with a friend to visit her friend’s dad, who worked there, Vestavia Hills Fire Chief Marvin Green said.
Now, as of early May, George has joined the department and become just the second female firefighter in the department’s history, joining Ana Ruzevic, who was hired in 2018.
“Honestly, it means a lot to me,” George said. “I didn’t expect … to be with such a big department.”
George began volunteering in February at the Rocky Ridge Fire District and then joined Vestavia Hills in her first paid job in any fire department, she said.
“I absolutely love it,” she said. “The guys are great. … They welcome me with open arms.”
Vestavia Hills Fire Chief Marvin Green said he was glad to hire George, not because she was a woman, but because she was highly qualified to join the department.
“We’re committed to equal opportunities,” Green said. “We see qualifications and the quality of people, and not necessarily their gender. She’s extremely eager to learn, is very aggressive and excited about her job. She comes to work with a great attitude every day.”
George said she has always been driven to achieve her goals. Several years ago, that meant working as hard as she could to be a collegiate soccer player at the University of Montevallo after graduating from Hoover High School.
“I’ve always wanted to reach goals,” George said. “After redshirting, I didn’t have much playing time, so I used it (the spare time) to get better.”
After redshirting her freshman year, George played a good bit during her sophomore and junior year, and during her senior year, the team was much improved and overcame many challenges.
“I used it as motivation in life,” George said. “I’ve always had that competitive drive to do better and get better.”
It was a “dream” to play college soccer, and thanks to hard work, George was able to accomplish that, she said.
“You have to work hard to get where you want to go,” George said.
Before coming to the Fire Department, George worked briefly at United Ability, before COVID-19 hindered that work, she said.
“I’ve always had the drive to want to help individuals who were disabled,” she said.
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Valerie George, firefighter and EMT, sits in the rescue truck at the Vestavia Hills Fire Department, Station 1 on May 24. George joined the Vestavia Hills Fire Department in May as an EMT and is continuing training with the department.
Being around those people is an “incredible” experience and really challenged her perspective on life, especially the things about which people without disabilities tend to get upset, George said. “They really aren’t that big,” she said.
Becoming a female firefighter wasn’t easy, George said. It was a lot to overcome, but it was something she always wanted to do. Once again, George said she overcame and reached her dreams by working hard.
“It’s a lot of training and a lot of hands-on [work],” George said.
The first few weeks were a lot of learning the feel of the job and getting to know her fellow firefighters at Station 1, located on U.S. 31 next to Chick-fil-A, George said. She really enjoys helping the community, she said. “It’s a great feeling.”
While she dreamed about being a firefighter one day, George said the TV shows that may inspire many to pursue the profession don’t always do it justice.
“It’s a lot more strenuous than you think,” she said.
George said she hopes her effort will inspire others, including young girls who may one day want to be firefighters.
“If you put your mind to it, you can do anything,” she said.
