SILVERHILL – Seeing your daughter and nephew at the doorway to a burning barn, preparing to go in to fight the fire isn't a sight most people can take easily.

“I was never so proud in my life,” said Lisa Ard Spencer.

Lisa is not your typical mom. And her daughter, Anna Spencer, isn't your typical daughter. Both are volunteer firefighters with the Silverhill Volunteer Fire Department.

Lisa Spencer is a captain with the SVFD, having more than 18 years with the department. Anna Spencer will celebrate her fourth year with the department shortly.

By their reckoning, Lisa joined the SVFD just when Anna turned 3.

You might say it's a family thing.

“My (female) cousin joined,” said Lisa. “It was something I always wanted to do, so I joined.”

While the cousin eventually left the department, Lisa found she loved it, staying through her last pregnancy. She took her last call four weeks before her due date and came back to the department four weeks after the baby's birth.

Female firefighters in Alabama are not all that rare. According to the Alabama Association of Volunteer Fire Departments, “Out of 1,016 VFD's (Volunteer Fire Departments), 30,000 volunteer firefighters, there are over 6,000 female firefighters, career and volunteer.”

Lisa also drives a school bus and works at the family business, Ard Printing.

“I quit (fighting fires) when my turnout pants would not fit,” said Lisa. She had checked with her doctor, and as this was an activity she was used to, gave the OK to continue. After her firefighting gear would not fit, Lisa continued to drive the truck and connect hoses.

Anna “grew up in the firehouse” her mother says. When she was old enough, she joined the department, taking the 160-hour firefighter class. She has also taken an auto extraction class. When she's not firefighting, she is majoring in education at Faulkner.

“I love kids,” said Anna. She is also a Girl Scout leader, leading Troop 8462 in Loxley. He mother used to lead the troop at the fire station.

Family is big at the SVFD. Lisa had one son do a year in the department, but left because it was not for him. Her nephew, Timothy Spencer is still with the department.

Isn't she nervous to see her daughter out there?

“I know she's been well-trained,said Lisa. “We are not mother and daughter on a scene.”

“The kids have seen me driving a fire truck,” said Lisa. They have seen me go out Thanksgiving, Christmas and come back with grime all over.”

Anna can remember one of her first calls – an auto accident. The wreck had sent one car into a ditch and the other car had the vehicle's engine on the driver.

“I looked, and told everybody that I was going to do traffic duty,” said Anna.

Lisa added that lost children calls are the hardest for her. But she added that seeing  people have their feet on the dashboard is hard. She's seen a few accidents where the vehicle’s airbags have hurt legs, nearly removing feet.

SVFD firefighters do talk about incidents that disturb them and there is professional help available if needed, but Lisa says that most of the time, firefighters can talk an incident out among themselves

And after an incident, talking it out can be the best thing for the entire department.

“We all put our input in (on the incident), said Anna. “If we saw somebody doing something good, we mention it, or we say we have to work on this.”

“Sometimes we are the most critical of ourselves,” said Lisa.

According to SVFD chief Gary Patrick the company has 18 members, and is always looking for more.

If one does not feel they can under go the rigors of firefighting, there is plenty of office and other work to do.

“We can use almost anybody,” said Patrick. “There are plenty of jobs in addition to fighting fire.”