It was early 1984, and the Concord (N.H.) Fire Department was looking to hire paramedics. Sandy Hillsgrove heard of the opportunity from a classmate at New Hampshire Technical Institute (NHTI). She’d done some ride time with the department and had once had a memorable altercation there with a colleague.
He was smoking and thought it would be funny to blow smoke in her face. Disgusted by his crudeness, Hillsgrove grabbed him by the front of his shirt and told him, “If you ever do that again, I will take that cigarette and shove it up your ass.” He took a couple of steps back, mouth hanging. His cohorts from work and Hillsgrove’s classmates stood with mouths agape. A moment passed, then in unison: “Way to go, Sandy!”