VolunteerLEON's Featured Story - October 2004

Leon County Firefighter Receives Posthumous Honors

James Michael Goodwin was still listening for emergencies on his scanner the night before he died.  "He took it with him everywhere he went," said his wife, Lysa Goodwin.

Goodwin, who succumbed to cancer last December, was named Volunteer Firefighter of the Year on Saturday. The honor is given to the year's most outstanding Leon County volunteer firefighter. Goodwin's wife and one of his daughters accepted a plaque on his behalf during Fire & Safety Day. The event included a visit from Smokey Bear and allowed children to explore fire engines. It was held in the parking lot of Books-A-Million on Thomasville Road.

Award recipients' names are also placed on a plaque that hangs in the Leon County Courthouse rotunda.  Goodwin, assistant chief for the Chaires-Capitola Volunteer Fire Department, was appreciated for his leadership skills, Chief Robert Robertson said. He had worked with the department since 1996 and was in charge of purchasing and maintaining the department's vehicles.  He also sent pickup trucks to a company in Atlanta to be equipped with pumps and hoses. The fire department itself does much of the wiring for the lights and sirens on these adapted vehicles.  "We're still trying to find people to do the things he did as well as he did," Robertson said. "It was a loss of leadership and guidance."

Goodwin also recruited and trained volunteer firefighters countywide, said Bobby Bacon, president of the Earl Bacon Agency which sponsors the award.

"He was a father figure to several of the younger guys," Robertson said.

Goodwin, who died at age 48, spent about 20 hours per week with the fire department. His full-time job was in commercial roofing. He was part owner of Goodwin Roofing Company.  The county has 70 volunteer firefighters who work for six departments. They log 30,000 hours a year of donated time, said Jeri Bush, director of VolunteerLEON.

Goodwin's wife said the family is honored to know her husband won't be forgotten.  "I'm very honored that his memory is kept alive in the department," Lysa Goodwin said.

-Posted on Sun, Oct. 10, 2004 in the Tallahassee Democrat, Local Section.   

Others to come out and support the event were the VolunteerLEON Youth Corps, American Red Cross, Tallahassee Police Department, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Earle Bacon Insurance Agency.

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