On her upper arm, Amber Altier has the fire flag permanently inked into her skin, a testament to her commitment to service.
A paramedic firefighter, Altier has been with the Greer Fire Department for three years. While on duty, she spends her days responding to calls and providing medical assistance. She also works for EMS when not working at the department.
For Altier, firefighting is a bit of a family affair. Her grandfather served as an arson investigator before later becoming a police officer, and now gets to bond with his granddaughter over their shared profession.
“He's just so proud of me,” Altier said. “Every time he sees me, he tells how proud he is. He tells everybody he knows.”
Altier joked that becoming a firefighter gave her a leg-up on her cousins in being the “favorite grandchild” in a family of mostly boys. In addition to the relationship she has built with her grandfather, she mentions her father as being a great influence on her life.
Altier and her father have several matching tattoos — all of them themed after iconic horror movies. Her favorite movie, Scream, is honored with a tattoo depicting Ghostface in a knife silhouette.
Her tattoos also reflect her career. Alongside the horror tributes, the fire flag on her arm is also accompanied by a puzzle piece.
“I always wanted to be a part of me; I worked really hard for that,” she said, pointing to the tattoo.
Outside of work, Altier runs a small crochet business and uses her craft to help better the community. She often donates crocheted items to local ministries and partners with nearby elementary schools to sell plushies.
“Sometimes I pick up some of the handouts that we have here [and] have them on the desk,” Altier said. “The kids love getting the coloring books with the fire dog on them and everything, which is great.”
While she works hard to serve her community, both on and off duty, Altier says that she still feels she has a lot left to learn throughout her career. At the end of a long day, she enjoys going home to her family, including her two cats, Gracie and Gus.
“I am still learning. We learn every day,” she said. “A lot of people like to thank us for our service and talk about how great we are, but we're just like them. We're not any different.”
She continued: “We show up and we put our pants on the same way, one leg at a time, and we're just trying to do the best for them that we can.”
Moving forward, Altier hopes to be a part of more community outreach events within the fire department. For more information on the department, visit its website.
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