Up To The Challenge

One of the fiercest competitors you will find at the 2025 World Police & Fire Games is Ana Ruzevik, who has roots in Eastern Europe but has made her home in the Birmingham area. The 37-year-old fire medic has served with the Vestavia Hills Fire Department since 2018 and has excelled in The Firefighter Challenge Series, winning the 2019 national title in her first year competing, and repeating the feat in 2021. 

The Firefighter Challenge, often called “the toughest two minutes in sports,” involves a series of tasks performed in full gear and self-contained breathing apparatuses that simulate the physical demands of real-life firefighting. At the 2024 world championship in Nashville Ana finished third along with Sarah McGill of Lexington, Kentucky in the female tandem competition. The two are good friends and train together once a month, and Sarah edged Ana off the top spot at the 2024 U.S. National Championship Event hosted last September in Hoover.

"I've always had that competitive edge," Ana observes. “My favorite part of the competition would have to be all the amazing and inspiring people that I've met through the combat challenge. Even though we may be competition to each other, they all want to see you succeed and do better.”

Ana is a native of Croatia with natural athletic ability. She excelled at track and field and earned a full scholarship to Tulane University in New Orleans. She then came to Birmingham for a job and started volunteering at the Rocky Ridge Fire Station while applying for United States citizenship.

“I wanted to do some sort of public service to look good on the application, and I just ended up falling in love with firefighting,” she tells Birmingham TV station WVTM.  Ana is now a proud United States citizen and says her athletic career prepared her to be a first responder.

“The life of a division one track athlete, it's very structured, you know," she further explains. “You know exactly what needs to get done every day from morning practices to class back, to practice. So, that kind of that work ethic and dedication transferred very well into the fire department.”

By Del Moon