Paige Hoffmann, a Grandview High School senior, was seriously injured last month while fighting a brush fire, but the harrowing experience hasn’t weakened her resolve to pursue a career in the field.
Paige, 18, is a third-generation firefighter, volunteering with the Richwoods Fire Protection District in Washington County.
A 20-acre brush fire ignited off Hwy. A at Dogwood Road near Sullivan.
She was hurt Feb. 25 while battling a 20-acre brush fire off Hwy. A at Dogwood Road near Sullivan, where she was overcome by smoke.
Grandview Superintendent Matt Zoph said Paige is an exceptional young woman
“Paige is all you can dream of as a student and citizen, which her actions illustrate very well,” Zoph said. “We are very proud of her heroic deeds and are grateful she is a part of the Grandview community.”
She said the week leading up to Feb. 25 was a busy one for the all-volunteer Richwoods fire district because low humidity, little rain and high winds contributed to an uptick in brush fires.
Paige said her crew, which included her parents, Jamie and David Hoffman, and her siblings, Garrett Hoffmann, 19, and Skyler Hoffmann, 14, already had responded to two brush fires that day before rushing to the brush fire in Richwoods.
The family of volunteer firefighters – from left, Garrett, Jamie, Paige, Sklyer and David Hoffmann – worked to put out a 20-acre brush fire in February.
“We were all a little tired and it was windy that day, but it was just another brush fire,” she said.
Paige and the rest of her family were working to clear a swath of undergrowth to prevent the fire from spreading further.
“My sister (Sklyer) and I took a leaf blower, and the guys took some rakes, and we headed up the side of the hill to start making fire lines,” Paige said.
She said another crew was working on the other side of a hill, adding that the hill was so steep her crew wasn’t sure they could make it over the top without falling or getting trapped by fire.
Paige said her crew wanted to see if it was safe for the other one to join them and she volunteered to climb up the hill and check.
“It was dark already, so Mom was, of course, a little bit worried, but I just kind of had the strongest legs at the time,” Paige said. “Whenever I climbed up the hill, I actually slipped a couple of times going up it and almost fell back down.”
Paige said when she crested the hill, the wind abruptly changed direction, and suddenly she was engulfed in a thick, hazy smoke, adding that she was equipped only with a helmet with a light on it, so it became increasingly difficult to get her bearings.
“Thankfully, I’ve got pretty good directional awareness, so I knew where they (the crew) would be,” she said.
Paige said she was overcome by the smoke, though.
“Whenever the smoke changed direction, it literally covered all sides of me. It was almost like I had gone underwater where I wanted to take a breath but I couldn’t. No matter what I did, I could not get a breath in.
“I was trying to take bigger breaths, and I felt the hot ash go up into my respiratory system. It almost felt like I had ice packs on my lungs. The smoke had filled it up so much that they couldn’t expand anymore. I was just taking a breath about to my throat or so and then it got cut off.”
Jamie Hoffmann said she could not see her daughter for a while, which was terrifying.
“The wind, when it blew the smoke, it was so heavy that I couldn’t even see her light anymore,” Jamie said. “As her mother, of course, my heart sank because I didn’t know between the heaviness of the smoke and now the concern that she’s going to get hurt falling off the side (of the hill). I had my other children stay put and I went to meet her. I got her back up out of the smoke.”
Paige’s family soon realized she wasn’t breathing properly and needed medical attention.
“For a few minutes, we thought she would be OK; then she started to have a lot of trouble breathing,” Jamie said.
Jamie said an ambulance transported her daughter to Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Crystal City to be treated for smoke inhalation and respiratory failure. Doctors there tried to get Paige’s breathing under control, but to no avail, so she was airlifted to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, where she was intubated for two days.
Paige said she returned to school on March 1, even though normal activities, like walking, were strenuous.
She said her doctor will need to monitor her symptoms closely in the coming weeks.
Paige said the experience had not changed her mind about working in firefighting.
In fact, she said the experience only reaffirmed why she wants to pursue the career, adding that it will give her the chance to help people through what may be the hardest days of their lives.
“I feel like there’s going to be nervousness, or fear almost, of brush fires,” she said. “I’m always going to be really worried about it happening again, but it’s definitely a job worth doing. I look forward to every fire that we respond to. That’s my duty as a firefighter, even a junior one right now, to be able to do whatever it takes to save those people’s homes or businesses, whatever it may be.”
After graduation in May, Paige plans to work at the Washington County Ambulance District, where her father is a captain.
She said she has completed an Emergency Medical Technician program at Mineral Area College and needs to complete a final state licensing test before becoming a certified EMT.
Paige, who completed training at the Junior Firefighters Academy with the Sullivan Fire Protection District, works at Mercy Hospital Jefferson as a patient care technician.
She and her siblings chose to attend Grandview High after attending Richwoods R-7 School District, which enrolls students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
Paige also is a member of Grandview High’s National Honor Society and played volleyball at the school for four years.
“Paige exemplifies the epitome of a dedicated student-athlete, seamlessly balancing her academic pursuits with her commitment to her teammates,” said Paige’s varsity volleyball coach, Madeline Rotter. “Her relentless work ethic, determination and resilience in facing challenges serve as an inspiration to her peers and is a perfect example for future generations.”
Paige’s siblings also are interested in pursuing a career in firefighting or joining law enforcement, their mother said.
“I am very thankful that my children are who they are, and they have great big hearts,” she said. “They are so good at working in groups and they will go above and beyond to help the other firefighters.”
Paige urges people to exercise caution when burning brush or lighting a campfire that could get out of control in unsuitable weather conditions.