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Chief Jimmy B. Keith and Lewis B. Nuckles Memorial Page

The members, both past and present and citizens of Wake Forest are forever grateful and wish to acknowledge the outstanding character of those not with us any longer. Without the strong leadership of Chief Keith the Wake Forest FD would not be the outstanding example of Pride, Professionalism, Compassion and Care that it is today. Firefighter Nuckles dedicated his life to the Wake Forest FD and gave the ultimate sacrafice volunteering for what he loved doing. For the example of these two men the Lewis B. Nuckles Award was created and presented to the Volunteer Firefighter of the Year and the Jimmy B. Keith Award is presented to the Employee of the Year.

Chief Jimmy B. Keith

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May 6th, 1951 - July 29th, 2004

Years of Service: 1970-2004

Chief from 1987-2004


Chief Keith served as a member of Wake Forest Fire Department for 34 years before his death in 2004. He followed in his father's footsteps and became a volunteer firefighter in 1970. Jimmy progressed through the ranks and became Chief in 1987. In 1993, Chief Keith was hired as a full-time Captain for WFFD and continued to serve as the departments Chief. Unable to perform both duties, Chief Keith resigned as Captain and continued to serve as the volunteer Fire Chief. In 2003 Chief Keith became the first full-time paid fire chief in the history of the Wake Forest Fire Department. He served in this position until July of 2004 when he lost his battle with cancer. Chief Keith will always be remembered as one of the most important men in Wake Forest Fire Department's history. Through his dedication for the community and love that he had for each member of the department he will always be known as "Our Chief." Chief Keith was known for saying "Saving lives, our prime goal" thus we have adopted this as our department motto. In 2005, the Employee of the Year Award was renamed the Jimmy B. Keith Memorial Award in his honor. This award is handed out annually to the employee of the year that best exemplifies our departments core values and Chief Keith's dedication and love for the Wake Forest Fire Department and the Town of Wake Forest. These award winners can be seen below.

Firefighter Lewis B. Nuckles

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Years of Service: 1954-1982

Lewis Nuckles was a dedicated volunteer with the Wake Forest Fire Department for 28 years before his death in 1982. He started out as a volunteer in 1954 under Chief Frank Keith. On a regular Thursday evening training class in 1982, Lewis started having chest pains. He was transported to the hospital where he passed away the next day of a heart attack. Nuckles' dedication as a volunteer firefighter has been honored with the creation of the Lewis B. Nuckles Memorial Award that is given annually to the volunteer firefighter of the year. These award winners can be seen below.

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 In 2006 the Jimmy B. Keith Memorial was erected and dedicated at Station #1 in downtown Wake Forest.

Jimmy B. Keith Memorial Award

2001-2002 - Erick Mohn
2002-2003 - Richard Wells
2003-2004 - Jimmy B. Keith
2004-2005 - Jeannie Bogner
2005-2006 - Wayne Burton
2006-2007 - Jonathan Burgess
2007-2008 - Stephen Driver
2008-2009 - Ron Early
2010 - Kyle Mangum
2011 - Justin Alderman & Matt Strawbridge
2012 - James Kimley
2013 - Daryl Cash & Jeff Hannum
2014 - Justin Brown
2015 - Scott Knowles
2016 - Robert Weatherford IV
2017-  Christoper Wilkins


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Lewis B. Nuckles Memorial Award

1981-1982 - Hubert Denton
1982-1983 - Stanley Denton
1983-1984 - Jimmy Keith
1984-1985 - Clifton Keith
1985-1986 - Randall Cooper
1986-1987 - Donnie Hight
1987-1988 - Stewart Champion
1988-1989 - David Davis
1989-1990 - Albert Perry & Don Griesedieck
1990-1991 - Nelson Rogers
1991-1992 - Jimmy Keith & James Madden
1992-1993 - Randall Schmidt
1993-1994 - Joey Powell
1994-1995 - Rob Horton
1995-1996 - Hobert Floyd
1996-1997 - Clifton Keith
1997-1998 - CJ Collins & Gary Sullivan
1998-1999 - Richard Stinnett & Darren Romig
1999-2000 - David Williams & Don Griesedieck
 

2000-2001
- Randall Cooper, Gary Sullivan & David Williams
2001-2002 - Scott Stimac
2002-2003 - Royce Fuoco
2003-2004 - Jimmy Keith
2004-2005 - Ben Davis
2005-2006 - David Davis
2006-2007 -
Gary Sullivan, Bill Wandrack, & Jerry Knorr
2007-2008 - Justin Alderman
2008-2009 - Bud Connelly
2010 - Bud Connelly
2011 - Connie Davis
2012 - Ben Meyer
2013 - Michael Greenham
2014 - Bruce Carper
2015 - Bud Connelly
2016 - Martin McDonald

2017-  Martin McDonald
The Wake Forest Fire Department website is owned and operated by the WFFD Media Team. All photos are property of the Wake Forest Fire Department unless otherwise noted. For comments and concerns please visit the Contact Us tab.
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