VIDEO: A St. Lucie County firefighter is breaking barriers and making history in the male-dominated sport of spearfishing.
“I have been spearfishing since I was a kid,” said Julie Higgs, a firefighter and paramedic with St. Lucie County. “I was 7 years old. I shot my first fish when I was 13.” ulie Higgs comes from a family of first responders.
“My dad is a retired fire captain from Palm Beach County. My mom worked for the fire department for a little while. My stepmom is a nurse. My sister is a nurse,” said Higgs.
She said what she learned on the water is what prepared her to be a firefighter.
“When I grew up on the boat with my dad, I was his first mate. I did everything,” said Higgs. “There are several things we do in our physical agility test, one being hoisting a rope over a rail, five stories tall; normally weighs about 45 pounds. I would watch people struggle with that, and I would think I've been pulling heavy anchors on a big sailboat my whole life. This is easy for me.”