Fire Chief Scott Rouse, right, of Pleasant Grove Volunteer Fire & EMS, accepts the Valor Award from Brent Heath, Director of Governmental Affairs with the Office of State Fire Marshal. On June 3, Rouse — with no protective gear — rescued his elderly neighbor from a house fire. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Firefighters and guests at Pleasant Grove Volunteer Fire & EMS show their appreciation for Fire Chief Scott Rouse, who has just accepted the Valor Award from the Office of State Fire Marshal. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Pleasant Grove Volunteer Fire & EMS Chief Scott Rouse shows the Valor Award and the medal with the N.C. State Seal he has just received from the Office of State Fire Marshal. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Firefighters put their lives on the line to save others. For most, it’s a calling. It’s what they feel led to do. It’s what they train hard to do. And when they answer a call, they’re outfitted, head-to-toe, in protective gear. The job’s still dangerous, but the gear helps.
For one Duplin County firefighter, it didn’t matter that he was off duty. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t wearing protective gear. What mattered was that there was a fire. A life needed saving. He jumped into action and did just that, and he was recently honored for that heroism at Pleasant Grove Volunteer Fire & EMS, on Red Hill Road, about 14 miles outside of Mount Olive.
During Pleasant Grove’s regularly scheduled Monday-evening meeting, on behalf of State Fire Marshal Brian Taylor, Brent Heath, Director of Governmental Affairs with the Office of State Fire Marshal, presented the Valor Award to Pleasant Grove’s Fire Chief, Scott Rouse, saying, “On June 3 of this year, as Scott was getting home, he…found his neighbor’s house on fire. It was an elderly woman who lives by herself, and without regard to his own safety, with no gear on, he got her out and got her to safety.
“So, Chief Taylor wanted me to come and present you with this Valor Award, that says: ‘In recognition of exceptional courage and bravery in the line of duty, this prestigious award is presented as the highest honor bestowed by the Office of State Fire Marshal in the face of imminent danger. Scott Rouse displayed exceptional valor, going above and beyond the call of duty to protect life and property.’”
The award goes on to state that the recipient’s actions “exemplify the highest standards of bravery within the firefighting community.’” Rouse was also presented with a medal featuring the N. C. State Seal and the words “Honor,” “Courage,” and “Valor.”
Rouse, clearly taken by surprise, humbly accepted the award. “Guys, I appreciate it,” he said, as a standing ovation subsided. “But…if it weren’t for Neil Hill, I couldn’t have done it by myself, so we’re gonna put his name in the pot, too.” Hill is a community member who noticed the fire and alerted Rouse.
After the ceremony, when asked about the award, Rouse said, “This is what we do every day, [but] we don’t do it for this. We do it to help the community out and, like I say, I got a good neighbor that went right in there with me to save this lady.”
According to Heath, who presented the award, this is the first Valor Award that has been presented during Taylor’s year-long tenure as State Fire Marshal. Someone nominated Rouse for the award, he explained, and then the nomination was reviewed by a committee.
“If he’d had his gear on, if he’d been doing his normal duty as a firefighter, he wouldn’t have qualified for this award,” Heath said. “But because he did it without his gear on, and didn’t show up on a truck, and didn’t have the protection that he would normally have, he put his own life in jeopardy to save another life.”
Wayland Southerland is the long-time treasurer of Pleasant Grove’s fire department and remembers when a teen-aged Rouse first began serving with the department as a junior firefighter. He said Rouse, who has held the position of Fire Chief for eight years, is very deserving of recognition. “He’s very concerned about the community,” Southerland said. “He wants every fireman in here to pull their load that they are assigned to do.”
Among those present for Rouse’s honor was his 17-year-old son, Austin, himself a junior firefighter with the department. “It was nothing out of the ordinary for him to go in that house,” Austin said. “That was just how he was raised and how he grew up. When he sees somebody that needs help, he goes and helps; he don’t think twice.”
The fact that Rouse was receiving an award had been a closely guarded secret, with only his family and a couple of firefighters in-the-know. And, while he was obviously appreciative of the honor, it was clear that he was eager for his moment in the spotlight to come to an end, so that business at the fire department could commence as usual.
If you have an idea for a feature/human interest story in the southern Wayne/northern Duplin area, contact Kathy Grant Westbrook at kwestbrook1@nc.rr.com.
