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A message from City Manager, Charlie Funderburk
When we began thinking of what to do for this week's edition of the Tega Cay Rewind, I asked Mayor Sheppard if he had any subject ideas. Without hesitating he said, "Tribute to Firefighters in memory of the Pineville Firefighter who died last week". This week, we are putting our normal info and satirical spin on events on hold. Why? Because last week I was reminded of just how fragile life can be. Last week, the Pineville Fire Department lost Firefighter Richard Sheltra.
Sheltra did something that most in our society are not programmed to do. He went into a structure that was on fire. He did so because he was wired differently than most. Like every other firefighter, he knew there would be dangers, but he went in any way. He was called to serve his community and did so to the end. As I learned of Firefighter Sheltra's death, it made me think about my own staff. Each time I hear the sirens go past City Hall during the day, or past my house late in the evening, I pray for their safe return to the fire station. As I sat down to put my thoughts on paper for this, I remembered a pledge that I had read several years ago when picking out a birthday present for my younger brother who also served as a volunteer firefighter.
A Firefighter's Pledge
I promise concern for others. A willingness to help all those in need.
I promise courage - courage to face and conquer my fears. Courage to share and endure the ordeal of those who need me.
I promise strength - strength of heart to bear whatever burdens might be placed upon me. Strength of body to deliver to safety all those placed within my care.
I promise the wisdom to lead, the compassion to comfort and the love to serve unselfishly whenever I am called.
Firefighter Sheltra, as well as each of our firefighters, embody this pledge. They know each time they leave the station it could be their last, but they go anyway.
Sheltra's story also hit home for us in Tega Cay because he was a volunteer. Our City fire department started as a volunteer department. We still have several volunteers that work alongside our full time firefighters. Many of our full time firefighters started as volunteers, either in Tega Cay or at other volunteer stations in the area. Several of them still volunteer during their time off at other stations. So for this week, I asked Katie Poulsen, my Assistant City Manager who is responsible for each week's Rewind, to interview our firefighters and spend some time sharing the story of the Tega Cay Volunteer Fire Department.
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All Give Some. Some Give All.
By Katie Poulsen, Assistant City Manager
There is something special inside those who choose a career path of public safety. Specifically, an innate sense of protecting and helping others that I believe exists in the fiber of their being. When a situation claims the life of such a selfless human being, it touches each one of us regardless of whether or not we knew them personally. The tragic news of Pineville Firefighter Richard Sheltra's death this past week affected many of us, but especially our own Fire Department. To lose someone so devoted to his community at such a young age is simply unfathomable. In tribute to this great individual, we spent some time with our own firefighters learning more about what they face on a daily basis and what has driven them to pursue this selfless career.
Meet Stan Hutton. Stan is 20 (same age as Richard). Did your heart just sink? I know mine did as I interviewed him and came to this realization. In fact, it sank a lot. At 20 years old, Stan has been a firefighter for 5 years (officially for 4). His dad, Jeremy Tillman, is a firefighter for Riverview and Stan began hanging around the station with him at 15 before becoming a volunteer firefighter himself at 16. Seeing his dad in action was the main influence on Stan's decision for a career in public safety. I asked him if the risk involved in being a firefighter weighed on his decision to pursue it as a career. "Nope." Probably could have guessed that one. He went on to explain "the camaraderie felt between firefighters far outweighs any danger they may face." This close-knit bond causes tragedies like the one this week to be that much harder. Stan noted "In times like these, it is important for the community to show face-to-face support. One of the most important things people can do is just show up. Simply stop by and share their condolences in person." This, folks, from a 20 year old who grew up in the technology era where just about everything can be accomplished via a device of some sort. #HumanInteractionStillMatters
This got me thinking about how the Tega Cay Volunteer Fire Department came to be. Meet Dave Nelson.
Dave,
firefighter for 43 years, is the longest serving firefighter in the City. In fact, the idea of a Tega Cay Volunteer Fire Department started in his kitchen in 1973 after he fought a fire at his neighbor's house with a garden hose while waiting upwards of 20 minutes for Riverview to arrive. While our City would not be born for another 9 years, the protection of his family and the people in this community was top priority for Dave and 14 others. I talked with him about how the fire department has transitioned over the years. He described how calls came in the beginning: "I would get a call and go. Then my wife would call 10 people and they would go while their wives each called 10 people." Times have changed a great deal from phone trees to 9-1-1 dispatch, from solely volunteer to a combination of volunteer and paid firefighters. However, the mission of protecting this community has always remained the same. I asked him if the potential danger of a career in public safety weighed on his decision to pursue it. You guessed it: Nope (I think I might be on to a trend here). He described a feeling he could not really pinpoint saying "You just do it. You don't think about it. You go in with the goal of fixing the situation and bringing everyone home."
On Saturday, April 30th, everyone didn't come home. Tega Cay Fire Chief Scott Szymanski stated "Pineville didn't lose a firefighter last Saturday, we all did." We ask the community to continue to keep Richard Sheltra's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers, and if you have opportunity, share these in person.
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