As first responders, firefighters play an outsized role in the health and well-being of their communities.
Volunteer firefighters in 1977Volunteer firefighters in 1977Volunteer firefighters in 1977Communications Manager Landra Cunningham (@Landra_C) embarked on a project to learn more about her hometown fire department. When her dad joined as a volunteer firefighter in 1976, it was one of only three racially integrated fire services in Caswell County, NC.
She is graciously sharing her research in honor of this year's theme for Black History Month: Black Health and Wellness, acknowledging the legacy of Black researchers, medical practitioners, public health partners and community programs.
The Semora Volunteer Fire Department was chartered specifically as an integrated unit in 1972—one of few in the area at that time.
“I personally believe this insistence on diversity from the beginning has made a difference in its successful existence over the past 50 years,” says Landra. “The fire service was one of the spaces where the community as a whole came together to care for and protect all of its members.”
A Q&A with Landra
Tell us about your father, his friends and their community.
My father has volunteered with the fire department for the past 46 years. He has served in a range of roles from firefighter and medical first responder to compliance lead and equipment acquisition and maintenance manager. He’s now the Assistant Chief. He wears lots of hats, including working closely with the Chief to ensure the department is fully funded and equipped, maintains strong ISO fire ratings and sustains solid community relations. Oh, and he still has to respond to calls.
Landell CunninghamLandell CunninghamLandell Cunningham
Landell Cunningham's training certificateLandell Cunningham's training certificateLandell Cunningham's training certificatePeople often think volunteer fire and first response service is less involved than career service. In many ways, it is more so. Dad and the volunteers worked full-time jobs and cared for families while training multiple nights a week, taking weekend classes to maintain their certifications, raising money to keep the department running, and listening for the call that someone needed their help.
And when the call came, they answered no matter what. Midnights, Christmas mornings, calls that were dispatched back to back. They found themselves arriving on scene to calls for their own mom, spouse or child.
Dad is very proud and honored to be a part of what the community has created together. The responders, their families, and the community at large built the department from the ground up—when they started they had little funding, no central dispatch to receive calls, and no station house.
What is something surprising that you learned in your research?
Why did they volunteer to establish a fire department?
Today's Fire Chief Dodson in 1977Today's Fire Chief Dodson in 1977Today's Fire Chief Dodson in 1977Semora is in a very rural part of North Carolina. The closest municipal fire service is at least 15 miles (about 24 km) away. Even certain parts of the community are too far away for the nearest volunteer service to reach quickly.
So, in 1972 a group of community members chartered a department to be at the ready when someone needed help from the fire service. They could either handle an incident themselves or manage the situation until mutual aid had time to reach the scene. The fire service later expanded to include first response to aid in medical emergencies until medical services could arrive.
What inspired your project?
This year the department turns 50. Dad was filling me in on the latest department news (as he always does) and shared that he was helping to plan a celebration. He had an idea to reprint a book from 1977 (when the department turned five) that outlined the department’s history up to that point. As I read the history, I was amazed at how much I didn’t know. I began to ask questions, and Dad started telling stories. I asked him who knew these stories, and he assumed only the early volunteers knew much of what he shared. Also, there wasn’t a history written for the years since 1977. I asked if I could capture some of the stories, and he arranged for me to talk to a few retired firefighters and their spouses, and some volunteer support staff.
Ultimately, the project was inspired by the story of my community. Hearing the accounts of their journey made me proud of my small community and the magnitude of what they are doing. My childhood memories of the fire department took on a whole new meaning as I learned how it all started, their early decisions to be inclusive, and the sacrifices it all required.
SVFD's chief and assistant chiefSVFD's chief and assistant chiefSVFD's chief and assistant chief
Describe some of the challenges and successes they experienced.
- In the early years, there was an unspoken understanding that white firefighters needed to accompany their Black colleagues for certain trainings and calls.
- Until the department was approved for grants, the volunteers and the community paid for everything. Their budgets are now fully funded.
What else did you learn?
- Nearly 50 percent of the 1972 group were firefighters of color. Women joined the ranks in the early 1980s as first responders only. Now women enter both fire service and first responders when they join.
- Certain responders became unofficial child care. Frequently, kids were with their parents when a call was dispatched (or they were too young to be left home alone), so the kids came, too. One of the responders (or their spouse) would remain off scene with the children.
- Community commitment was so much broader than I knew. Volunteers and the community donated EVERYTHING. They gave money for the truck mortgage, contributed their own tools for repairs, donated land to build the station house, offered time to host fundraisers, and showed up at scenes with food and water for responders during major incidents.
Funny fact: Young Landra wanted to be a county emergency services communications dispatcher. Instead, she found herself writing technical manuals for Scott Safety, the organization that engineers and manufactures the SVFD’s Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA).
Here’s some interesting data on firefighters from Data USA. Perhaps someone would like to explore this data in JMP and share with the company?
Wonderful story, Landra. It is fascinating how far we have come with communication and response times. Would love to see community commitment at that level again. Thank you for sharing. @Landra_C .
@Landra_C, thank you for sharing this incredible story. I loved learning about your dad and am so impressed that he's volunteered his service now for 46 years. One thing that surprised me while watching your video was hearing about an emergency phone tree. I'm glad we've come a long way since then.
Landra,
This is awesome! My father was one of the first black firefighters for the City of Raleigh. This is such an amazing story! Thanks for sharing.
This is great, Landra. Thanks for sharing!
@J_Marquardt, Thank you for helping me share this story!
@amy_bullock, @Diana_Levey, @AllisonHines, @arati_mejdal, @Ryan_Gilmore Thanks for reading and enjoying the stories as much as I have.
@Meg_Eberle and @anne_milley, A book sounds like a fun idea. I'd really love a formal audio collection of interviews with them. I doubt they would go for video, but there is something about hearing them tell the stories in their voices. Something to consider...
Great article and echo @Meg_Eberle's question about a book in the works--? Thanks for sharing, Landra! No firefighters in our family, but several neighbors are--grateful for them all.
I love learning more about my coworkers! This was an especially dear story, thank you for sharing Landra 
No firefighters in my family, but I sure do love learning about Landra's...and now Jessica's and Amy's too.
Wow, thanks for sharing this story, @Landra_C. It's so inspiring to hear about your dad's commitment to his community - I can't even begin to imagine the courage it must have taken to join a volunteer fire service in a time when most were still segregated.
Is there a book in the works? 
I've loved hearing about this project too, @amy_bullock -- an inspiring story of community commitment. And I agree with what @Landra_C says in her video: It's fascinating to think about how much tech has changed the way emergency responders mobilize. My grandfather was a volunteer firefighter -- he continued to monitor his scanner even after he stepped down.
Love this article, love that I now know where Landra got her name and love firefighters (my brother and sister-in-law are ones, too). Thanks for sharing this about your family history.
