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By WILLIAM MARLOW | Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER – Alabaster firefighter Jamada Green was named the SERVPRO ‘Honor A Responder’ recipient during the Birmingham Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 29, for his extensive bravery in the line of duty earlier this year.

Launched several years ago, SERVPRO Director of Digital Marketing Adam West said the company’s program recognizes first responders across the country for their outstanding service to their community.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, even with what they’ve dealt with, they have never stopped working,” he said. “They are working overtime, they’re out there still providing service to keep communities safe. So, that’s really been a staple of our ownership, which is to support first responders.”

As part of the nomination process, the company selects an overall national recipient as well as several local recipients. For Birmingham, Green was selected from six fire departments throughout the area.

Although humbled, Green said he had never envisioned himself as a firefighter growing up. The Alabaster-native, however, was drawn to the profession after participating in a ride-along with a friend.

“It was just the camaraderie, the teamwork, and that they put everything on hold because serving citizens came first,” Green said. “It was just an amazing act to me and really opened my eyes to the level of service that first responders hold. I just kind of stepped out on faith.”

Now a 17-year veteran of the department, Green has gone from observing acts of heroism to having citizens rely on him every day. Green actually earned his award for rescuing two people, one an injured teen, from a quarry in 2021.

On May 16, Green said he overcame his fear of heights in order to save the two people from the quarry along Fulton Springs Road. According to Green, he had always had a fear of not only heights, but helicopters.

On this date, however, he ignored his fear and volunteered to be lowered more than 70 feet into the quarry for the rescue effort.

“I think the only thing I can think of is courage because courage helps you to overcome that fear,” he said. “I think even in that moment, you know, it was courage of thinking of the need to help over fear, so I had to act. We had other guys that could do what needed to be done, but I was the one that day. That was my time to step up.”

Even with his fear, Green navigated the treacherous overhang to reach the ground and provide patient care. Once on the ground, he treated the 16-year-old trauma patient before proceeding to check the patient’s friend that was on the scene. Green additionally assisted other first responders with the helicopter rescue.

However, after airlifting both the patient and the patient’s friend from the quarry, it was determined that it was too dangerous to lift Green out of the quarry using the rope system. Knowing he had a fear of helicopters, he did not question the orders given to him and was then air-lifted from the quarry and brought to the landing zone.

“I had guys around me that gave me all of the confidence in the world, and I knew they had my safety in mind,” he said. “And from experience in the profession, I know firsthand that trust comes from training, but also just really having a connection with your team. I could have brought my whole department down on that field for that award because we are a family.”

Fire Chief Tim Love, who nominated Green for the award, said that he and the entire Alabaster Fire Department demonstrated their dedication to the citizens of Alabaster that day.

“That was both physically and mentally demanding. These are not common calls, and you may see one like that every two years. It’s definitely a team effort, but Jamada is the one that chose to be on rope that day,” Love said. “He is a guy that does the right thing all the time for the right reasons. That’s kind of his goal in life.”

Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, Love said that Green and the rest of his department have continued to work around the clock to serve citizens.

“We’ve had to change our protocols,” he said. “They’ve had to take on additional responsibilities, additional equipment, precautions, but they haven’t slacked one bit. They’ve actually picked up the pace. Our guys know their job is to take care of the citizens of our city.”

Green concurred, saying that helping his fellow citizens is the favorite part of his job.

“I’m just so fortunate to know a lot of people in the community, and it feels amazing to me to be able to serve people,” he said. “God blesses us all with an ability, and we have to use that ability to serve others.”

Green currently lives in Alabaster with his wife, Africa, their two children, Jayla and Jaxon, and the family’s foreign exchange student, Sandra.