BY BRANDY TEMPLETON
The Troutman Fire-Rescue celebrated 100 years of providing service to the community on Saturday.
About 100 people gathered at Station 1 for the occasion. Fire trucks and a boat were on display, along with department memorabilia. Visitors chatted over fruit, cakes, and ham biscuits.
Wesley Morris, who has been fire chief since 2017, is the department’s 11th chief in its rich history. He is extremely passionate about his work and proud of the department’s 36 full-time firefighters and five volunteers.
“It’s about just being able to help somebody on their worst possible day,“ Morris explained. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a child who fell of his swing and scraped his knee, if we can bring comfort to him and his mother, that‘s what we’re here for.“
Since 1993, Morris has seen many changes.
“Our call volume has definitely increased— it’s probably doubled, so we now have three area stations. We‘ve had 500 calls consistently every year in the past five years,” he said.
Another change is having access to better equipment.
“We have thermal-imaging cameras now and an 800 Viper radio system,” Morris said.
The communications system is shared with Iredell County EMS and Iredell Rescue, helping get help and critical information sooner.
Another huge change Morris has seen is the improvement in training. Firefighters are required to complete 400-plus hours of training and instruction for state certification, which typically involves six months of training Monday through Friday. Also, all of the firemen are trained EMTs.
One of the departments biggest challenges is recruiting new firefighters.
“Not as many want to do it anymore because of the long hours we work,” Morris shared. “They either love it or they don’t.”
Morris, who joined the fire service at age 18, is among those who love it. He works many days he’s supposed to be off duty.
“I love the training, the camaraderie. I love everything about the fire service,” Morris said.
Chairman of the Board Kelly Clontz feels the same way. He started in 1988, took some time off, and came back in 2016.
“The training has come leaps and bounds— it’s not what it was when I started,” he said.
Talking about the history, Clontz said that an exact date for the fire department’s beginnings wasn’t recorded, but it was believed to be in April, on Ham Day. The original department started behind the old Troutman Cafe.
Clontz shared that the firefighters are a tight group who care for each other.
“You come in the door as a friend, and leave as family,” he said.
Keith Troutman served as a firefighter for 30 years. He smiled as he remembered the old days in the “sleepy little town” of Troutman.
His father, Jim Troutman, was firefighter too. Jim tagged along when he was a kid.
“I grew up here,” he said pointing at the fire station. “I used to run certain calls with my dad.”
Back then, everyone in Troutman knew everyone other and what was going on.
“The Ham Day was a big community event years ago,” Troutman said. “Dad was chairman.”
A shirt factory donated the ham, and community members donated desserts, green beans, milk, and eggs for the event.
“There were bonds they had back then that they don’t today,” Troutman said. “There’s just a bond there that unless you’re in it you can’t understand.”
