CARY, N.C. — It may be a combination of guts, adrenaline and just a touch of crazy to run into the face of danger, but that's what our firefighters do every time they receive a call. The town of Cary's fire department is celebrating 100 years of serving the community this year.
Every firefighter has a different story on how they got their start, but all of them have chosen a life of sacrifice in order to protect and serve the communities they call home.
“Because we come from such diverse backgrounds and we have such a diverse community, all those differences just make us stronger,” firefighter Jeremy Mebane said.
The Cary Fire Department got its start in 1922 and purchased its first firetruck in 1924. However, up until 1956 the department was completely volunteer.
Mebane is thankful that fighting fires is a full-time job now — he gave up a career in the private sector to pursue something that he finds far more rewarding.
“I was 30 years old when I got into the fire service,” Mebane said. “It's like winning the lottery to get into the fire service and have a sense of fulfillment and community service.”
Chip Dimmick is a fire captain – the same position his father held while he was growing up, but no matter how much fun he had at the station as a kid, it took him a few years to realize he loved it enough to make it a career.
“I used to go on calls with him back as far as I can remember, 5, 6 years old, and go to the fire station after and helped roll hose at that age and helped wash firetrucks,” Dimmick said. “I started as a volunteer back in Pennsylvania when I was 14 years old in a junior program and at 18 you become an active member.”
In honor of their 100th anniversary, the department held a celebration where the community could interact with team members, see equipment demonstrations and learn about the firefighting legacy.
“Fire department history is a very important part of the cultural makeup of the fire department,” Mebane said. “It's surreal, it's humbling, from the perspective of knowing that we stand on the shoulders of everyone who came before us.”
Today the town has grown to need nine fire stations, 16 different apparatuses and 225 personnel to serve the 58 square miles that make up the town of Cary.
“When it grows, that allows more people to come in and join our family, make our family stronger, maker our family better, make the foundation of the department better, which in turn helps the citizens,” Dimmick said.
