Clarke County Emergency Management held its first May Day on Saturday, May 13.
“We’re honoring our firefighters and EMRs here in Clarke County,” explained Deputy Director Latoshia Evans. “Mayday is normally a bad situation, but we wanted to make it a great May Day. We recognized everyone and let them know just how much we love and appreciate them. You can tell them all day long that you love them but showing them appreciation is totally different. It’s just a day for them to relax and not fight fires or work wrecks or anything—just have some fun.”
Forms were submitted to the different fire departments for the fire chiefs to choose a Firefighter of the Year for the department and an EMR of the Year for those departments with EMRs. A vote was also taken at the departments to select a Fire Chief of the Year. The following awards were presented on May Day:
Firefighter of the Year:
- Tim Sowers – Rolling Creek
- Johnny Ray Smith – Shubuta
- Danny Fleming – East Quitman
- Logan Griffin – Quitman
- Cliff Busby – Harmony
- Hunter Gilbert – Desoto
- Nathan Covington – Stonewall
- Mark Nixon – Clarkdale
- Tyler Kirkman – Pachuta
- David Mayo – Carmichael
- Scott Haney – Theadville
- Travis Williams – Hopewell
- Brad Scrimpshire – Enterprise
EMR of the Year:
- Beth Busby – Rolling Creek
- Christy McCoy – Beaverdam
- Diane Brown – Shubuta
- Betty Lucas – East Quitman
- Tobey Bartee – Quitman
- Carlos Brown – Desoto
- Tyler Kirkman – Pachuta
- Ricky Carpenter – Stonewall
- Jacob Stephens – Clarkdale
- Angela Sisson – Enterprise
Fire Chief of the Year:
Some of the fire chiefs at the departments submitted a statement about why they selected each winner for the department.
Pachuta’s fire chief selected Tyler Kirkman as both Firefighter of the Year and EMR of the Year. His reason for nominating Tyler was simply, “If you know Tyler, you know why. He is our brother. We may want to choke him but we ain’t.”
Harmony’s fire chief selected Cliff Busby as the Firefighter of the year because “Cliff has served the CCFS on and off for 18 years at Harmony and Enterprise VFDs. Cliff has been back active at Harmony since 2015. Cliff answers about 80-90% of fire, MUCs, and service call types. Cliff is a full-time mechanic At Waters International. Cliff performs minor maintenance on our equipment. That has saved Harmony and CCFS money. Cliff is a reliable member of the department that shows up on every call when possible. Simply said, he is one of the workhorses of our department.”
Rolling Creek’s fire chief selected Tim Sowers as Firefighter of the Year because he is “Always willing to do as asked and shows up. He promotes the fire department in a very positive way. He’s a friend to everyone, is like by the members, and a great Christian and family man.”
Beth Busby was selected as the EMR of the Year for Rolling Creek, and the chief said that “She’s very friendly, outgoing, and has a high drive to help where needed. She does anything asked of her. She tries to keep updated with everything she needs with the medical side. She’s a good Christian and family woman.”
Stonewall’s fire chief selected Ricky Carpenter as EMR of the Year and explained it with “We have chosen Mr. Ricky because of his dedication to helping others in need. In his 44 years of service, Mr. Ricky has shown others what it takes to be a great EMR. He is an outstanding asset to the fire department as well as the community."
Nathan Covington was chosen to be Stonewall’s Firefighter of the Year, and the chief said, “We chose Nathan Covington because of his dedication to the fire department as well as helping others. In his three years of service, he has shown what it takes to be a leader when on a call. He is eager to learn new skills and does not stop until the job is done.”
Beaverdam’s fire chief selected Christy McCoy as EMR of the Year and simply said that she “works hard.”
Shubuta’s fire chief selected Johnny Ray Smith as the Firefighter of the Year and said that “During the last 20+ years, Johnny Ray has demonstrated an outstanding work ethic and an unwavering positive attitude towards both fellow firefighters and citizens in the community. Called upon numerous times to go beyond normal duty assignments, Johnny Ray has participated in the following to assist the Shubuta Volunteer Fire Department in fulfilling its mission: expertise in heavy equipment operation and knowledge of the City of Shubuta water system infrastructure. Johnny Ray would leave early to make sure the pumps for the town were operational to help with firefighting operations. Johnny Ray played an instrumental role in community relations. Johnny Ray would always volunteer his time to assist with different events in town using the fire equipment. Johnny Ray has always demonstrated his exceptional knowledge and skills in firefighting and fire ground operations. Johnny Ray’s efforts, energy, and expertise have increased the department’s overall capabilities. Exemplifying selflessness and a caring image that the public associates with members of the fire service, Johnny Ray is a highly valued member of the department and is certainly a strong candidate for Fireman of the Year.”
Diane Brown was selected as the EMR of the Year for Shubuta, and the chief said that “An integral part of every community is the service provided by those who choose to put themselves in harm’s way daily as their vocation: firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and law enforcement. They preserve life and liberty to our benefit and are worthy of recognition for the life and career they have chosen, and a ‘Thank you’ from all of us. Diane worked full time for the Town of Shubuta at the time and still was able to answer medical calls in and around the Shubuta area. I have never met, nor worked with anyone with such a dedication and devotion to helping her community, her team, and her patients. Diane was there to answer the call seven days a week at all hours of the night. Diane was a tremendous asset during the Covid 19 pandemic, always putting bulletins up and helping pass out supplies to everyone in the community.”
Hopewell’s fire chief selected Travis Williams as Firefighter of the Year and said that he “always responds to call and has knowledge of the area and is a lifelong resident of Clarke County and the Hopewell Community.”
Desoto’s fire chief chose Hunter Gilbert to be Firefighter of the Year and said, “Hunter has been dedicated to Desoto VFD for 11 years. He’s been married for three years with two kids. He sat through Firefighter 101 three times before the age of 18. He took an EMR class at 18. He also was a paid member of Laurel Fire Department. He is very knowledgeable in his volunteer career."
Carlos Brown was selected as Desoto’s EMR of the Year, and the chief said, “I think Carlos Brown will be a good nominee. He is a good EMR. He’s dedicated and he is concerned about people. He’s been an EMR since 2017. He’s married. He’s been married for 18 years. He has two children. He’s a good provider for the family. He also has been preaching for 20 years. He went through firefighter class and EMR class. He does a good job working as a volunteer.”
Quitman’s fire chief chose Logan Griffin to be the Firefighter of the year and said that he has a “Dedication to fire service of Clarke County. He’s a hard-working and intelligent firefighter.”
Tobey Bartee was selected to be the EMR of the Year for Quitman, and the chief said that he has a “Dedication to fire and EMS service in Clarke County. He’s honorable and self-sacrificing to the community he lives in.”
East Quitman’s fire chief selected Danny Fleming as the Firefighter of the Year and said that he has a “Dedication to the fire department and the community.”
Betty Lucas was chosen to be the EMR of the Year for East Quitman, and the chief said that she has a “Dedication to the fire department and the community.”
Enterprise’s fire chief chose Angela Sisson to be the EMR of the Year and said that “Angela has selflessly served her communities for countless years. What comes to 20 years of service is experience and knowledge that can’t be taught. For almost all of her years of service, she has completed and maintained a medical first responder status. Angela has a bedside manner that is superb and always puts patients and family members at ease. Angela treats all her patients with respect, no matter the activity level. Not only can Angela obtain vitals and so an assessment, but she does them accurately and is able to clearly communicate that to other healthcare providers. Angela has answered more than 90% of medical calls in our area and provided mutual aid to other areas numerous times. She’s a true old-fashioned helping hand in a time of need."
Brad Scrimpshire was chosen to be Enterprise’s Firefighter of the Year, and the chief said, “Since joining our department, Brad has responded to more than 75% of fire calls. Brad has an above average knowledge of fire related services. When he is not going to be available for an extended amount of time, he notifies other members. Brad is also a go-getter. Anytime there is truck maintenance, truck cleaning, equipment testing, weather standbys, etc., he is almost always available to willingly serve. Brad’s radio terminology is clear, precise, and controlled. Brad has always operated at fire scenes in a safe manner. Brad is a tremendous asset to our department and Clarke County!”
Carmichael’s fire chief chose David Mayo as the Firefighter of the Year and said that he is “Experienced and very supportive for all volunteer fire departments.” Carmichael 1 made a statement about him saying, “He is right there when I need him. He is a great assistant chief.”
Theadville’s chief selected Scott Haney to be Firefighter of the Year and said that “He is well-dedicated in service to our fire department and the surrounding community.”
All of the volunteer fire departments are a tremendous asset to the county, and the men and women who take the time to volunteer deserve to know just how much they are loved and cared about. There was a great turn-out for this May Day, and hopefully each department member who attended felt how much they are loved.
Anyone who would like to join one of the departments in the county and become one of the needed volunteers can simply contact their local fire station or Emergency Management at 601-776-2256.
