Vance recalls calling 911 during mother’s opioid struggle, praises firefighters for helping him

WASHINGTON, D.C.: JD Vance recounted a deeply personal story while speaking at the Legislative Conference of the International Association of Fire Fighters on Monday, March 9, 2026. The Vice President shared how Ohio firefighters helped his mother during her opioid struggle.

Praising the firefighters and EMS personnel for their work, Vance said, “I admire about this spirit of public service that exists in this community is that every single one of you put on a uniform, the people that you serve put on a uniform and make it possible for kids like me, kids who didn't grow up with a silver spoon in their mouth to have access to that critical public safety and that security in their neighborhoods.”

JD Vance reveals how Ohio firefighters saved his mother

He then went on to share his own family’s story. The 41-year-old revealed that his mother, Bev Vance, “struggled with opioid addiction for a very large chunk of my life, and I remember when she was having a particularly dark moment and she was, she needed some help.”

“I needed some help. I picked up the phone, I called 911, and a number of brave, professional, compassionate firefighters from Middletown, Ohio showed up and they calmed my mom down and they made it possible for us to go on with the rest of our day,” he stated.

Vance also claimed that the immediate response made him feel “like he had an ally in this world,” before adding that he'll never forget their help.

"I will never forget also when we had to call 911. It wasn't a firefighter. It was an EMT who came and took my mom to the hospital because she had had a very terrible overdose," he noted.

Vance celebrated ten years of his mother’s sobriety

This was not the first time Vance, who was born in Middletown, Ohio, and spent much of his childhood with family in Jackson, Kentucky, had talked about his mother and her opioid issues. In April last year, the Republican celebrated a decade of his mother’s sobriety.

In a post on X, Vance wrote, “This year marks my mom’s 10th year of sobriety, and I'm grateful that we were able to celebrate in the White House with our family. Mom, I am so proud of you.”

During a celebration at the White House for his mother, he further noted that she’s “an inspiration to a lot of people in the recovery and addiction community.”

“So, from the bottom of my heart and speaking for the whole family, we love you,” Vance added.