McClenny earns G. Edgar Summerlin Award
By Melinda Harrell
Published in News on February 3, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MELINDA HARRELL
Charlie McClenny stands in the bay of the Smith Chapel Volunteer Fire Department. He recently was awarded the G. Edgar Summerlin Award by the Wayne County Firefighters Association.
MOUNT OLIVE -- Charlie McClenny has spent most of his life being a firefighter.
But he never expected to be the recipient of the G. Edgar Summerlin Award, which declares him the 2015 Firefighter of the Year.
"It was a complete surprise. You know you sit there, a lot of times in these awards banquets and all, and you are glad for the person that gets the award and you can think sometimes, 'It would be nice if I could get that award, but that probably won't ever happen.' I was really surprised," McClenny said.
Steve Bryan presented McClenny with the award during the annual Wayne County Firefighters Association's banquet, but before he announced the winner he regaled the audience with the reasons McClenny was chosen.
"This year, my job as presenter, was made easier because of a couple of letters of recommendation that were written in nomination of this individual," states Bryan's speech.
"Through his leadership, the department has grown from a land-locked, two bay building to a modern facility with modern equipment.
"His training and knowledge of equipment has made him a confident commander on the fire scene as well as a good administrator of the department's business."
McClenny has been a member of the Smith Chapel Volunteer Fire Department for 44 years, but his family has been involved with the department since it began in 1961.
"Most of the fire departments started back in the '60s and, of course, here at Smith Chapel they got organized in 1961, and my daddy was the first chief in Smith Chapel," McClenny said.
McClenny followed in his father, John "June" McClenny's, footsteps in 1971 when he turned 18.
"I got in the fire department when I turned 18," McClenny said.
"I was interested in firefighting also, I grew up around it with my daddy and the community people. It was something that you could do to help people."
It was not long before he was elected chief, which is a position he kept for nearly 40 years.
Over the years, McClenny and his department have responded to all kinds of calls ranging from fires to car wrecks, but the call he remembers most from his long career is the weekend of Christmas in 1982.
It was a weekend of losing and saving.
"It was in 1982, the sun was shining and it was warm outside, it was Christmas Eve and a cold front came through, and it turned cold in just a few minutes. We had a fire call, it was a brick house, and it was about a mile or two from the station. And with the wind blowing and the type of roof on the house, it was a slate roof, we fought that fire --I was chief at the time -- and we couldn't get it under control," McClenny remembers.
"There were two or three departments there, and I got with the chiefs of them and we all put our heads together, and we did everything we knew but we lost the house.
"It actually burned up and we were doing all we could do."
McClenny said the loss of the house occurred on a Saturday, but on Sunday night Smith Chapel VFD got another call on N.C. 55 in which a two-story house was ablaze.
McClenny said he knew they were going to lose this house too.
"Well, on Sunday night, we had a call on 55 Highway, and it was an old two-story house. I was the first one there and fire was coming out several of the doors and the windows and all. And my first thought was, 'We were going to lose another house,'" McClenny said.
"But we didn't. Everything worked good, of course the wind had quit blowing and everything worked good and we saved that house. And people had to do a little bit of work on it, but they moved back into that house. That makes you feel good when you save something like that."
Over the years, McClenny has devoted much of his time to leading the fire department and caring for the facility.
"I don't regret anything I have ever done for the fire department. I have gone to a lot of meetings and of course it takes a lot training to have a good fire department," McClenny said.
He has been an active member of the Wayne County Firefighter's Association, ensuring the Smith Chapel Volunteer Fire Department was well represented at every meeting.
According to Bryan's speech, his attendance has earned him many awards.
McClenny is no longer the chief of Smith Chapel VFD, but his twin sons are carrying on the family tradition.
John is the new chief of Smith Chapel VFD and his brother, Murray, is the first assistant chief.
The Edgar G. Summerlin Award has been presented to outstanding firefighters since 1975, with the first recipient being Summerlin himself.
The award was named in his honor as he was an integral part of improving Wayne County's firefighting services.