Vanessa Gutierrez didn't join the Bella Vista Fire Department to be a footnote in history. She came here to fight fires and save lives.
But Gutierrez, who started full-time with the department in February, is a significant hire. Not only does she bring impressive credentials to the department -- including paramedic and fire training -- she's the first female firefighter since 1989, when Camille Wilcox was hired.
"The best part of firefighting is that it doesn't matter whether you're a guy or girl," Gutierrez said. "You can't tell (who is) when you're in bunker gear and it doesn't matter to that person you're saving -- you're just there to help them."
She added that BVFD hasn't given her preferential treatment, either.
"I'm still held up to same standard as next person," Gutierrez said. "I'm just trying to be part of the crew. It's important for them to be comfortable around me -- and I'm very comfortable around them. They're great guys."
Gutierrez, 30, is a native of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. She moved to northwest Arkansas about eight years ago. Gutierrez has had a passion for firefighting since she was a youngster, and enrolled in the Northwest Arkansas Fire Training Academy in 2007.
"There was a fire next door to our house when I was a kid," Gutierrez said. "A woman was still inside and the fire department pulled her out. They took the necessary measures to resuscitate her and it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Since that day, I knew (being a firefighter) was what I wanted to do."
Unbeknown to Gutierrez, she was auditioning for Chief Steve Sims while still enrolled at NWACC.
"My wife was teaching paramedic classes and Vanessa was one of her students," Sims said. "(My wife) spoke really highly of her. She said Vanessa was a good student, picked up on the skills pretty quickly and would make a good employee."
And when Sims watched Gutierrez test for openings at BVFD, he was floored by her persistence.
"I knew she had been wanting to join our department," he said. "And she had to take her test a few times. But when I look at that, people who keep coming back, it tells me they really want to work here. That they're willing to go and train to get things done.
"That's what stuck out," he added. "She interviewed well and already had fire and paramedic experience. But when I saw how persistent she was, I stepped back and said 'ya' know, she deserves a shot.'"
Gutierrez, who previously was working at the Lowell Fire Department, is part of the C Shift for Bella Vista. They alternate with A Shift and B Shift, working 24 hours to protect the city. Gutierrez says she's looking to deepen her fire experience and is hopeful one day to be a chief.
Right now, though, she's content with getting acclimated.
"I'd always heard great things about this department, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it," she said. "I'm just trying to learn how they do things and working to used to my surroundings and keep training."
General News on 04/22/2015