Words by Anna Lee Vaughn | Images by Ryan McGill
“I’m a banker by day and a firefighter by night,” Misty Johnson says with a smile. “I do both jobs with the same motivation and passion- to help others.”
Misty has worked in the banking business for most of her life, currently in the Loans Department at Bank of Walker County, but her journey to becoming a first responder began one day in 2014 on her way to work.
“I was headed to work and came upon an accident. The car had two toddlers in it, and I helped as much as I was able. From that moment on, I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” Misty recalls.
Over the next year, Misty completed the necessary training to become a Certified Volunteer Firefighter. She also became HAZMAT certified, Emergency Medical Response (EMR) certified, and received her Emergency Vehicle Operations Class (EVOC) license.
Now, Misty serves with the Oakman Volunteer Fire Department, where her husband is the Assistant Chief. Each night following her work at the bank, she stays on call, ready to respond to an emergency at any moment.

“When you are a volunteer, you get some family members who are upset when it interrupts your personal life, like when you have to leave Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas morning to respond to a call. But then you have some that understand it,” says Misty.
“The most rewarding part is seeing the look on somebody’s face, just a smile because you were there. We’ve gotten letters from people, one in particular that I remember when someone had attempted to take their own life, and we were there. We got a letter about a month later where she thanked us and told us how she was doing better. And to me, that is what it’s about.”
When she’s out on a call, Misty describes the operation as taking time to assess the situation and working together to do what must be done. However, she says that providing that service to someone during the worst time of their life is a satisfaction most people cannot understand.
From that first accident to training and certification, to now working one job by day and another by night, Misty says it means a lot to be able to promise her community in its most challenging times that no matter what, someone will always be there. WL