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August 30, 2012

Fire siren's meaning changes for Whitaker

Staff Writer Calvin Adkins

TARBORO — From now on, Chief William "Billy" Whitaker will take a different approach to the sound of a fire siren piercing the air and indicating the possibility of a fire.

Because of his July 30 retirement, he will no longer have to don his gear and rush to the scene as he had done for 28 years with the Tarboro fire department.

Whitaker, 54, said he thought about sticking around a couple of more years but then took a closer look at his personal life.

"The thought was there, especially the closer I got (to retiring)," he said. "Then, there was a part of me that remembered the fact that I have missed out on so many family oriented events during my career — reunions and things like that. Then, there was another reminder of me getting up in the middle of the night. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that I've done this this long enough and I am blessed to be healthy. So, I accept my blessings and I'm going on to the next chapter in my life."

Whitaker's  firefighting career began in 1984 when he was hired by the town of Tarboro as a public safety officer — someone who served bpth as a policeman and a firefighter.

Whitaker explained the town was experimenting with the position. He had attended firefighter training and passed, but before Whitaker was scheduled to attend the police academy, the experiment fizzled out.

"By the time I had gotten up in age, I knew I wanted to be a public servant but I didn't know whether I wanted to be a police officer or a firefighter," he said. "The position as public servant was ideal for me.

"They had the same program in Durham. When Durham cancelled its program, Tarboro cancelled theirs, too. Then I had to chose between being a policeman or a firefighter. I was pulled between the two, but I accepted the firefighter role because I had already gone through the training."

He apparently chose the right field.

Whitaker said he joined the fire department with the mindset of grabbing as much knowledge as possible. Attending schools and seminars as well as keeping an listening ear open for wisdom from veteran firefighters became his forte'. His dream was to reach the top of the ladder. He did on May 1, 2002, when he was promoted from lieutenant to replace retiring chief George Cherry.

"I told guys I'm here to learn, I'm here to excel and I'm here to move up," Whitaker said. "I didn't know it was going to be in Tarboro, but I did believe that I would be chief one day. A lot of time you have to move away from home to get that kind of position. I was blessed and lucky to have gotten it right at home."

Although he held the chief position for 10 years, he never forgot he once was a firefighter. He reminisced about saving a man's life from a burning manufacturing building. He also reminisced about the time two people perished in separate fires in 2008.

Now that those days are behind him, Whitaker said he plans to play golf and travel around the country. However, the firefighter is not quite out of him yet and he still gets fidgety when he hears a fire siren.   

"That probably the toughest thing for me right now," he said. "I want to be able to go and get right in the middle of a fire scene."



 

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