A true hero is prepared to save someone’s life if and when the opportunity arises. Lt. Alicia Hoffert uses her training and knowledge to save lives. During the recent flooding, many people had to have their basements pumped out. On one such call, Coopersburg fire officer Hoffert and crew were ringing the doorbell for five minutes before it was answered. When the woman came to the door, she said she was really tired. After seeing the generator in the basement, Hoffert realized that the family was experiencing CO2 poisoning and called an ambulance. She humbly says that she was trained for situations just like this one. “Emergencies are second nature.”
A Southern Lehigh native, Hoffert served with the Upper Saucon Fire Department for five years before moving to Coopersburg. She has been a lieutenant for the past two years.
Why does she do it? “I want to help the community - prove to people that women can do anything they set their mind to... and sometimes we can do it better.” Hoffert loves the pride that Southern Lehigh residents have in their firefighters.
Not everyone is so nice. Hoffert claims that some people can be very rude when she is trying to help them. “You tell them one thing and they don’t want to do it.” They don’t always listen to her as much as they do the guys who volunteer.
During the day, Hoffert is a preschool teacher at a learning center in Sellersville. Afterward, she fits in the volunteer firefighter calls (right now it is two to three per week) with training on Monday nights and work duty on certain Saturdays. “There are days when the fire department gets four or five calls.”
Hoffert’s soft spot? “I am usually the one saving the cats out of the building.” Having a cat and a dog of her own, Hoffert thinks of pets as family and cannot stand to have them left behind.
Does it ever get scary? When Hoffert is on a fire call, she is all business. “You just go in and do what you need to do and don’t think about it.” She recalls that the scariest times are auto accidents when she knows the people involved.
What does she love about Southern Lehigh? Hoffert loves how quiet and calm it is. She likes the close-knit community.
Can girls be firefighters? Absolutely! Hoffert keeps right up with the boys and earned her lieutenant status. She encourages every girl she meets to do it. “Go for it!” Hoffert encourages other girls, “We really can do anything we put our mind to. Once you become a firefighter, you will fall in love with it.”