Blue Ridge Fire and Rescue Chief Gary Brown ended his remarks Tuesday night with one message: Always put your family and God first.
Brown, who is retiring from the department, was honored at a dinner hosted by the Henderson County Fire and Rescue Association for his 47 years of service to the community. The association estimated that Brown has put in more than 6,000 hours of training, and dedicated himself to the community by leading association meetings on Monday nights over 2,000 times.
The room at Blue Ridge Community College was packed Tuesday with fire and rescue members and family there to pay tribute to Brown for his service.