Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, who also serves as the State Fire Marshal, on Tuesday will present the Order of the Guardian Award to three Rockingham County volunteer firefighters who have more than 155 years of combined service to their communities.
The three – Carl Steve Hall, Leonard Wayne Griffin and Cecil Vernon Gammon – are long-serving members of the Monroeton Volunteer Fire Department in Reidsville.
The presentation will take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 25, during the annual meeting of the Monroeton Volunteer Fire Department, 9252 U.S. 158, Reidsville, N.C. 27320.
Hall has 55-plus years serving the fire department and community. He is a founding member of the fire department, which was organized in 1967. He served as fire chief from 1988 to 1998 and has been on the board of directors for 40-plus years. At one point Hall served as president of the Rockingham County Fire Chiefs Counsel. He is still of the top call runners for the fire department.
Griffin is also a founding member of the fire department with 55-plus years of service. He served as fire chief from 1977 to 1982 and served on the board of directors for 30-plus years. He was one of three fire commissioners for the fire department until recently stepping down.
Gammon has 45-plus years in the fire service. Gammon started in the fire service with the Reidsville Fire Department as an on-call firefighter. He joined the fire department in 1998 after moving to the Monroeton community. He has served as a chief officer for the majority of his time with the fire department and still serves as deputy chief. He has served on the board of directors for more than 20 years, holding the position of board secretary for most of those years.
The Order of the Guardian is the top award given by the Department of Insurance.