VolunteerLEON's Featured Story - October 2003

When Mike Copenhaver was told about a home explosion, he knew he had to respond.  Copenhaver, chief of Lake Jackson Volunteer Fire-Rescue, and other firefighters helped out at a scene on Feb. 13 that involved a seriously burned man and a liquid-propane tank explosion. For Copenhaver, that meant being an hour late to his own wedding rehearsal.  "I knew we were close and would probably be the first ones there," said Copenhaver, 32. "It turned out to be a major incident."

Copenhaver's dedication to his volunteer job earned him the Volunteer Firefighter of the Year award. He was recognized at a celebration for Leon County's volunteer firefighters Saturday at the Lake Jackson Trading Post.  More than 60 volunteer firefighters do more than 30,000 hours of community service a year. There are six volunteer fire departments in the county.

Copenhaver won the award because nominators said he donates so much of his time to training volunteer firefighters, responding to calls and working with the department's board of directors, said Bobby Bacon of the Earl Bacon Agency, which sponsors the award.  "They sort of toil in anonymity a lot of the time," Bacon said of volunteer firefighters. "They're the first line of defense in the unincorporated area."

Copenhaver, who's volunteered for the Lake Jackson department since 1996, balances his life between his family, his job as a grocery manager and firefighting.  As a volunteer firefighter, he's always on call, he said. Copenhaver estimates he spends 30 to 40 hours a week on his volunteer duties. He manages 15 firefighters, purchases and maintains equipment and responds to calls.  "If I'm not asleep or at work, people know I'm firefighting," he said.

Joan Jones, one of the people who nominated Copenhaver, said Copenhaver responds to everything from the senior citizen who needs help changing batteries in a smoke detector to the woman who thinks she's in labor. Copenhaver also is an emergency medical technician.  "I've worked with volunteer firefighters close to 20 years," said Jones, president of the board of directors. "You learn to separate the talkers from the doers. Mike is a doer."  Copenhaver said volunteer firefighters can't be selfish.  "You have to give an awful lot - time and effort," he said. "And, you risk your life."

Posted on Sun, Oct. 19, 2003 in the Tallahassee Democrat, Local Section.  

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