Editor’s note: This is another in a series of personality profiles written by students in Jodi Williams’ English 1101 class at the University of North Georgia Blue Ridge campus. Each story is a first hand account of a local person who has made an impact on the author. As you read these stories, you will hear of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
As Becky Huffman sits in the back of the ambulance, her patient complains heavily of strong discomfort and pain in the lower half of her body. Huffman and her partner make sure to quickly inform Union hospital that they are on their way. The patient had called 911 because she feared that she was going into labor and had no way to safely transport herself to the hospital.
Becky quickly notices that her patient is unable to answer any questions concerning the time frame or duration of the pregnancy.
Just as the ambulance crosses over the Union County line the patient suddenly cries, “I think this baby is coming right now!”
Becky Huffman tries to collectively situate herself at the foot of the ambulance bed. She has never done something like this before, and she sees no clear sign that her patient is in labor.
While her patient does not look visually pregnant, Huffman ensures that she takes all the necessary precautions for this patient and her potential child.
If this woman is truly pregnant, I think we are going to have a serious case of a premature baby, Huffman thinks to herself.
“This baby is definitely coming,” the patient declares. Looking once again, Becky Huffman now has another set of eyes looking back at her. In a matter of seconds, Huffman is tickled to death to be holding a perfectly healthy and full-term infant.
Becky Huffman knew as a young child that she wanted to be a firefighter. She can still remember playing on the monkey bars with her cousin and close friend, Jason Eavenson, at the park in Blue Ridge as a small child. The heat from the sun was shining down on them, and a slight breeze blew Huffman’s brown hair around in the wind. They heard the loud sirens of the fire trucks that came from the station across the street. Standing there in awe, Huffman’s green eyes were locked on the EMT paramedics and firefighters as the trucks pulled out of the station and zipped by them on the way to a call. In that very instant, Huffman knew that she wanted to be a firefighter.
She started working in EMS straight out of highschool at the age of eighteen. In fact, Huffman was a volunteer for the fire department even before starting EMT school. Her first position was in dispatch, and she stayed in this position for three years. After dispatch, she began working her way up the ladder in the fire department. Huffman worked as an EMT firefighter for nine years. Following those nine years, Becky held the lieutenant position for a year and was soon promoted to captain at Station I in Blue Ridge, Georgia. She remained captain for nine years. For the past two years she has decided to work as the EMS director for Station l .
“I really don’t think I would be in the position I am today if it wasn’t for the people I work with. When Darrell Payne stepped down from the EMS director position, I knew that
Station 1 needed someone to continue to stand up for them. If it wasn’t for me having a desire to help out my amazing co-workers, I don’t know if I would have taken the position.”
Becky Huffman has been in service with the fire department for 24 proud years, and because of her different positions, she has had the privilege of seeing many different aspects and responsibilities that must be completed to make the station function steadily. Not only has Huffman worked hard and had a dedicated life to the fire department, but for the past nine years, she has also been committed to running her behind-the-scenes cake business.
It was her youngest son’s first birthday, and she had the party all planned out. She got out to pick up his cake and was absolutely stunned to hear the price she was going to have to pay for his birthday cake. When she climbed back into her car, she took a minute to look at the cake sitting in her passenger seat.
I genuinely think, Becky said to herself, that I could learn how to make a cake like this myself. If I could learn to bake like this, my family could eliminate a large lost cost from any of our planned events.
Becky had a good friend, Jessie Hall, who had previously worked in the bakery department at Food Lion decorating cakes. Huffman decided to ask Jessie about her thoughts on opening a cake business together. “We both know so many people who would need cakes for special occasions,” Huffman began telling Hall. “If we started this business together, we could start making cakes and selling them for completely reasonable prices.”
Their main goal for their business was to be able to provide people with nice cakes without the pricing of the cake being a large burden on the client. After a lot of hard work and figuring out how to work a personal business into both of their schedules, Becky Huffman and
Jessie Hall started their cake business, “Sugar Mamas.”
Huffman’s greatest success with working in the fire department is the relationships that she has made with her co-workers and clients. Within her cake business, Becky feels a great sense of accomplishment because, while she and Hall do not advertise their business, they stay extremely busy.
“Our business is simply projected by word of mouth,” Huffman explains. “We know that we are selling good quality desserts because, even without advertisements, we stay as booked as we can possibly stand. I can definitely say we are blessed, and we both get a good sense of accomplishment from our busy schedules. “
“As an EMT, I have learned to view a situation as the patient’s emergency and not my own. I have to have a lot of patience and compassion because I never know what exactly my patients have been through.” Patience is one of the biggest lessons that Huffman’s work-life has taught her. Before working with the fire department, she never imagined she would ever need to gain the high level of patients that she has acquired.
“It is important to understand that you never know what is going to happen to the people around you or even what is going to happen to yourself. It could always be the last time that you see or speak to someone, and that is a hard pill to swallow.” Becky Huffman’s job has let her fully understand how quickly things can change.
One of her favorite things about her jobs is that you never know what the day is going to hold. Becky Huffman has dedicated uncountable hours to this community and she has dedicated her life to ensuring that she helps everyone she comes in contact with in some way.
Everyday is different. Every call is different. Every cake order is different. No matter the circumstance or the situation, Becky Huffman will do everything in her power to help someone out.