The bar is set high for what Jacksonville Fire Department records clerk Angela Cobbs would consider “stressful.”
Cobbs had been with the department for less than a year before the tornado of March 2018 tore through the Jacksonville State University campus, pulling apart wood and concrete like Lego bricks. First response agencies from all over the state arrived to help with cleanup and recovery, but it still took days to sort out whether people were trapped in their homes or under debris. An emergency operations center was established in the fire department’s training room at the Public Safety Complex, where emergency managers sorted out how to respond to the devastation. At the time, Cobbs worked to support that team while its members worked through the disaster.
Compared to the stress of those weeks, her average days — managing day-to-day administrative tasks, greeting visitors and supporting the department chiefs — aren’t too bad at all. In fact, Cobbs said she loves the job.
“I believe God cleared a path for me,” Cobbs said during an interview in the fire department lobby. “Where I am, I’ve got peace. I know I’m where I belong.”
She got her start with the city in 2014, working with the front clerk’s office at City Hall. A clerk’s position opened at the Jacksonville Police Department, and she applied there, but didn’t get the job. Only a few weeks later, though, the clerk position at the fire department became available, a position she took in April 2017, lending some credibility to Cobbs’ assertion of divine influence.
Nowadays, she’s “Miss Angela” to most of the firefighters, who are around the same age as her adult children: son Kian, and daughters Ailee and Lainey.
Asked if there was anything she wanted to share with the public in her spotlight story, Cobbs decided to share a safety tip: Don’t be afraid to call 911.
“A lot of people think in an ‘old school’ way, that they’ll call the police or fire department directly,” Cobbs said. “But they don’t realize the method we use now is to call 911 directly.”
Even in situations that might be seemingly borderline emergencies — like a bad fall for an elderly person who wasn’t injured, or requesting a welfare check at someone’s home — are now often best directed to 911 straight away, she explained. Operators there will have detailed information about what units and ambulances are available and can get the proper information from the caller and to authorities quickly.
“If there’s any kind of medical need, it’s so much more efficient to call 911 directly,” Cobbs said. Meanwhile, the fire department’s non-emergency number is still where to call for routine information, fire reports and other, everyday needs. “We always want people to know we’re here to serve.”
