At their annual “Ladies Night” Dinner and Awards Ceremony, held on January 25, the Pitt County Fire Association presented Landon Minges of Eastern Pines Fire-Rescue with the Pitt County Firefighter of the Year award. The Award is presented annually to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding support and leadership to their department and the community; contributing to the overall good and advancement of the Pitt County Fire Service for the previous 12 months. The selection committee is made up of non-Pitt County fire service individuals. Pitt County Emergency Management joins the Pitt County Fire Association in congratulating Mr. Landon Minges on this award, and further thanking all of the dedicated individuals who serve the residents of Pitt County every day. Originally scheduled for January 18, this year’s event was postponed to the 25th due to inclement weather.
Eastern Pines Fire-Rescue responded to 296 calls for service in 2017, with Landon Minges responding to 27.7% of those departmental calls and 100% of department meetings. Mr. Minges also attended 60% of the County Fire Association Meetings in 2017, and obtained 123.5 hours of fire service related training. He has served in various leadership roles within the department, including his positions of Lieutenant and promotion to Assistant Chief in 2018, along with chairing many of the department committees for the past year.
In his letter nominating Mr. Minges for the award, Eastern Pines Fire-Rescue President Bob Milam spoke highly of Mr. Minges’ devotion to his department and community: “Landon possesses the unique ability to combine the aspects of serving the community through his knowledge and skills in the fire service and his keen business sense that is so important in managing and operating the corporate side of the department.”
The Pitt County Fire Association consists of all fire departments within Pitt County, for the purpose of maintaining an open dialogue between each other and County administration. For more information on the Fire Association or their efforts, please contact Association President Jonathan Heltzel, Fire Chief, Winterville Community Fire Department, at 252-341-1808.