v2_MayJune_online.pdf Jun. 2014 | Page 7

became the Fire Chief in January of 2014. Robert says of this transition, “I never envisioned myself doing that, but the opportunity kind of presented itself and it just seemed like the thing to do at the time. You never know where life will take you.” The job of Fire Chief is much different from volunteering or working in other roles at the fire department. The job of chief requires a 9 to 5 schedule as opposed to a shift schedule. He is also on call all almost all of the time. “People call me at all times of the night or day,” Robert explains. Another difference is the level of responsibility. He says, “The responsibility is ever-present. You are thinking about all of the things you have to keep up with and all of the things that could go wrong.” Robert says that every call they receive at the Moncure Fire Department is unique. The most common calls are medical calls, but they also have calls for fires, accidents, and water rescues, among many others. “People call the fire department when they don’t know who to call,” says Robert. Robert and the men and women at the Moncure Fire Department work hard to protect their community. They are currently offering smoke detector installation, fire prevention services, fire station tours, and child safety seat installation, all for no charge. In addition, for a small donation you can purchase reflective number signs for your house from them. Most important of all, however, the fire department offers compassion. Robert explains, “My mission at the fire department is to treat our community members as if they are members of our family. It becomes a job, and you have to build up a barrier so that things don’t bother you, but at the same time you have to remember that when you respond to someone’s house it is probably the worst day of their life.” You can learn more about the Moncure Fire Department at w w w.moncurefire. com or at www.facebook.com/moncurefire. If you are interested in learning more about Robert’s books on drumming, go to w w w.drummer s f ir s t aidkit .com. ★ Does your Chatham County business need assistance? We can help! 919-542-8274 | 964 East St. www.chathamedc.org www.facebook.com/chathamedc SOLAR PANELS PLUS You CAN have solar on your home at an AMAZING price! Whitney Beers Schmidt (336) 379-0450 [email protected] Call or Email to schedule a free solar analysis and estimate