Six members of the Wrightsville Beach Fire Department were in Raleigh on Saturday, May 7 to honor the memory of six North Carolina firefighters who lost their lives over the past year, while upholding the memory of the department’s only fatality in the line of duty.
The event recognized Amy L. Pierce of the Badin Lake FD, James Alan Hicks of the N.C. Air National Guard Fire and Emergency Services, James D. Robinson of Brasstown FD, Christopher J. Daniels of Pine Level FD, Carl C. Phillips of Locke Township FD and Sidney Weiner of No. 7 Township Fire & Rescue. It also recognized the 1918 fatality of Winston-Salem FD’s Robert Young and the 1969 death of Hamlet FD Joe Thomas Sowell.
Fire Chief Glen Rogers, Capt. Robert Pugh and firefighters Garrett McQueen, Tom Long, Kyle Miess and Ray Thompson represented the town at the annual North Carolina Fallen Firefighters Association memorial ceremony. The firefighters drove Engine 82 to Raleigh for the ceremony, while Thompson also rode a motorcycle as part of the Red Knights Fire Service Motorcycle Club.
Wrightsville Beach participated in the ceremony because it is one of the state’s departments to suffer a fatality. It was the first time Capt. Pugh has participated in the service.
“It was great to see the appreciation. It’s good to know that there is a big community out there to support you,” said Pugh, who noted that service drew a large turnout from residents in Raleigh.
A Fallen Firefighter’s Flag — plain black with a red stripe — now flies in Wrightsville Beach’s Wynn Plaza in memory of the plaza’s namesake. Lt. Robert Wynn died in the line of duty Dec. 6, 1981, while fighting the Doak Apartments fire.
The fire department recently cleaned up and landscaped the area around the memorial at Wynn Plaza. Rogers said he hopes the Fallen Firefighters Flag will help show that the plaza isn’t just there for recreation, but also serves as a memorial to Wynn.
“People may not see the memorial because it’s tucked [back] off of the bridge,” Rogers said.
Wynn’s death is the only fatality in the line of duty in the department’s century of fighting fires on the island. The Doak fire destroyed the Doak Apartments at 551 S. Lumina Ave. and the Hanover Seaside Club and did minor damage to the Carolina Temple Apartments.
“We want the flag to grab people’s attention and help them understand why it’s named Wynn Plaza,” Pugh said. “We want it bring attention to the sacrifice he made for this community.”
The town’s fire department conducts yearly training around a Doak fire scenario because, Rogers said in an email, “The same circumstances could happen again, so we need to be prepared.”
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