Salute to heroes: Rockingham County's assistant fire marshal dedicates his life to helping people
"I just always try to do what I felt was right."
"I just always try to do what I felt was right."
"I just always try to do what I felt was right."
Rockingham County's assistant fire marshal, Jeremy Shelton, is one of this year's Salute to Heroes award winners. The American Red Cross of the Piedmont Triad will honor him and this year's other winners at an event in Greensboro in late September.
Shelton is a true jack-of-all-trades emergency responder. He has a binder filled with all of his various certifications. But his journey into firefighting is a little unusual. It started when he was burning trash as a teenager. This is illegal now but was not back then.
"My granddaddy's grapevine was on fire. The trash had blew up and set the grapevine on fire, so first thing I thought of was to run up to the back of my grandad's house, grabbed his garden hose and run back down there and put the grapevine out. And I said, 'Well that was really cool. I think I'll be a fireman,'" Shelton said.
A few years later, he started as a volunteer with the Wentworth Fire Department, where he's now a captain and training officer. But in his job with the county, his main focus is on fire prevention, education, and investigation. He teaches children the basics, even dressing up as Sparky the Fire Dog occasionally. He makes sure businesses have their fire alarms and extinguishers where they're supposed to be kept. He's also an advocate for older people — helping to secure funding for alarms designed specifically for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
"It has a strobe light on top as well as it has a bed shaker that goes in between the mattress and the box springs and it works with any fire alarm that was manufactured after 1996," he explains. "You think about most elderly people. They are on a fixed income, correct? That one fire alarm is $250."
He helped the county secure grant money so he is able to come to people's homes in the county and install them for free.
Shelton's boss, Rockingham County Fire Marshal Melissa Joyce, is the person who nominated him for the award. She says he is just a wonderful helper.
"Anything he can do to try and make their life a little bit easier for them is what his goal is," Joyce said.
Shelton said he has always tried to be a humble person and doesn't do what he does for attention or recognition.
"I just always try to do what I felt was right," Shelton said. "I'm one of those guys that if you call me up and (say), 'Jeremy, I'm in a bind. The water's busted. I need some help!' (I'll say) 'You know, hold up, I'll be over there in a little bit.' You get up, put your clothes on and go help them out. I mean, that's what it's about."
The Colonnade at Revolution Mills in Greensboro is hosting this year's event, which is Sept. 21 at 6 p.m.