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
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.
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Firefighter Lewis B. Nuckles
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 Award2001-2002 - 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 2009-2010 - Kyle Mangum 2010-2011 - Justin Alderman & Matt Strawbridge 2011-2012 - James Kimley 2012-2013 - Daryl Cash & Jeff Hannum |
Lewis B. Nuckles Memorial Award
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