An armed woman commandeered a Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service unit this morning, firing three shots inside the truck.

No one was seriously injured, and the rescue was recovered in the Smithfield community a short time later after a brief police chase.

It all began about 10:40 a.m. when rescue workers were dispatched to the airport on a report of a woman feeling dizzy, said Birmingham Fire and Rescue Chief Charles Gordon. The rescue workers picked up the female patient at baggage claim, put her on a stretcher and loaded her into Rescue 12.

At about Tallapoosa Street on Interstate 59/20, the woman pulled out a gun and fired three shots. There was a struggle inside the rescue unit, Gordon said, and one of the paramedics jumped from the moving vehicle. The driver was able to pull over the truck and get out. At that point, Gordon said, the patient got behind the wheel and drove off.

Birmingham police spotted the stolen rescue unit and a brief chase followed. The rescue unit was finally stopped at Third Street and Fourth Avenue West. The woman, described by authorities as a black female in her 30s, was taken into police custody.

Gordon said the paramedics were taken to Station 9 and then to the hospital to be check out for minor injuries. He said the incident was highly unusual.

"We've had situations where there was a gun found but I can't recall an incident where shots were fired in the rescue unit,'' Gordon said. "There is always caution about what we do and who we transport, but this is a rare occurrence."

Gordon said he doesn't yet know what led the woman to do what she did. The investigation is ongoing and more information will be released as it becomes available.