Teachers Aide.
EMT.
Firefighter.

Sarah Hubbell is like a superhero. She pulls up in the family SUV, jumps out – the kids might be in the car – and there she is, tugging on her turnout gear. She has an instinct for fire. “It’s finicky,” as she puts it, but that knowledge represents years of skills and time in the department, almost 20 years. She joined when she was 17 and has been the county’s firefighter of the year for her dedication and her service to community. 

Growing up she went out with her dad on calls. “I wanted to help people, and kids were all over the fire hall when I was little. You’d ride in trucks in parades.” But, that doesn’t explain why she’s served for 2 decades –and why she keep on on serving.  

“I love what we do. It’s profound. We’re here for people on their worst days,” she says. “I also like helping the community, bringing the carnival to town, sending kids to camp, funding a scholarship. But I love fighting fires. It’s impossible to describe, or maybe it’s the adrenaline. It’s that sense that out there in an emergency, it’s powerful to see what you can do.”