Greer Lives Life on the Front Line
By: Ira Hertzoff, Phoenix College SID

PHOENIX - Kandra Greer is a middle hitter on the Phoenix College women's volleyball team. However, none of the pressure she feels on the court, can compare to the pressures of her summer job, that of being a firefighter in NE Arizona.

Greer, came to Phoenix College after playing varsity volleyball for four seasons at Mogollon High School. She was recruited by Chandler/Gilbert CC, Glendale CC, and Utah Valley St, but ended up playing for Coach Pat Mooney's Lady Bears. "I really liked the coach and the program, and how they stressed academics, which would allow me to move on, and I also knew another girl(Kim Cox) on the team," said Greer.

During the summer, as a way to keep in shape, and to make some good money, Kandra signed up to be a firefighter."It's something I needed to do, and I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, and do something out of the ordinary", she said. The first thing she endured was a 40 hour training course, which included long run through the woods, with helmets on and 40 pound backpacks, and learning about her gear. Little did she know how important her learning would become, because the day she was certified, the Rodeo-Chedeski fire started.

With the wildfire spreading toward her home in Heber, the Greer's were told to evacuate. Kandra's mom evacuated, while Kandra threw some stuff into her dad's truck and were ready to leave, at a moment's notice. 300 homes were lost in Heber, Kandra's was not one of them, they were lucky.

Over a 3 week period during the fire, she worked 14-16 hour days, putting out hot spots, and clearing debris away from buildings, so there would be no fuel for the fire to burn. The flames of the fire were reaching 300 feet in the air, Kandra's crew were brought in to clean away debris to save Gentry Tower, which they did. "It gave me a sense of accomplishment, you depend on each other in the crew for your life, and it really makes you work as a team', said Greer

Kendra plans on fighting fires again next summer, but is not planning on doing it as a career. She plans on going on to a university, preferably NAU, to continue her education in Elementary Education. She also plans on coaching sports.