Michael Butts, a Roanoke Rapids firefighter and the department’s fire and life safety educator, was honored by Safe Kids North Carolina for excellence in injury prevention.

After accepting the award from Halifax County Safe Kids Chapter Coordinator Frankie King,  Butts, whose last day with the fire department is Friday, asked city council Tuesday to consider studying employee pay.

“As I leave, one thing I would say to the council is I am in great fear. One of the things that worries me the most is that I will not be the last one (to leave),” he said. “I fear that with the current salary situation, with the way other places recruit people for a greater salary, I ask out of respect that you all please take into consideration trying to do something to fix those issues.”

Butts, who is taking a private sector job, told the council he appreciated his 10 years in the department. “I do want to thank each and everyone of you. I wouldn't be able to be where I’m at or do what I’m doing if it wasn’t what I learned from this place.”

Butts said, “I had a tremendous 10 years here developing a program and the help from the guys to make this stuff happen. None of those things would have happened without everyone at the Roanoke Rapids Fire Department.”

Butts not only praised the members of the fire department but employees city-wide. “I think everyone should know what a great group of people you have employed at the Roanoke Rapids Fire Department as well as city-wide. I think that a lot of people don’t really understand the character of a firefighter until we hear stories from a firefighter.”

One story he told was of an elderly man from Maryland who drove to the area just to have lunch at Ralph’s Barbecue and then head back home.

He was involved in a head-on collision which left his car totaled and nowhere to go. “One of the first interactions this guy had was with the Roanoke Rapids Fire Department,” Butts said.

The firefighters began pulling out money, got the man a hotel room and also brought him a plate from Ralph’s. “The character of the people being employed by the city of Roanoke Rapids is untouched by anyone,” Butts said. “I’ve been to many places, trained all over the state, all over different areas but I’ve never been around people that have cared about the citizens as much as the people in the Roanoke Rapids Fire Department do.”

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Chief Jason Patrick told the council that when the department’s administrative support specialist Helen Reed retired in 2019, he wanted to do something “to provide a little bit better service to our citizens by doing a little outreach” and “extending our fire prevention efforts not only to our elementary kids but also reaching out to our older adults, doing CPR classes, first aid classes.” The fire department took Reed’s position and turned it into the one Butts held. “It not only helped to get our word out to our citizens and our businesses but it also helped us with our ISO rating which helped us gain points in keeping that rating low.”

King said one of the chapter’s members suggested Butts be nominated for one of the organization’s awards.

“This person is well-deserving of this award,” King said of the nomination. “The department he is with saw a need to reach out to the community from the safety side. In 2019 this individual was to head up and create this task. Since the creation of the program he has taken a more active role in Safe Kids. He provides CPR classes, fire extinguisher classes, manages the department’s child safety seat program and installs smoke alarms. He’s working on becoming a proxy for his department. While doing these activities he also served as the department’s training officer and assists with fire inspections. At the Safe Kids meeting he’s willing to check on or step up to assist at different events.”

King wished Butts godspeed in his new career.

“Michael did a great job in building this position and this program,” Patrick said. “Unfortunately as most of you know about the time he took on that task COVID hit. We all know what happened when COVID hit. It really put a damper on us trying to get out, especially in our older adult programs. It was a challenge. He came in and did YouTube videos. He did an excellent job.”

Patrick acknowledged that the department will be losing Butts as of Friday. “You will be dearly missed. I know the guys will miss him quite a bit.”