In his 50 years of service as chief of West End Fire Department, Randall Brackett has had a hand in every move the department has made.
Joining in 1972 when progress on the department’s first fire station stalled while members worked to rack up support, as the only chief the department has ever known, he’s overseen every piece of equipment the department has acquired, the launch of its medical first responder program, the creation of two substations and expansion of the fire district, and helped create a junior firefighter program for the department.
And those are just the accolades that fit into the North Carolina State Firefighters Association’s resolution honoring Brackett’s service.
West End Fire Department members gathered Sept. 17 to celebrate the department’s 50th anniversary, a celebration that doubled as one for Brackett’s years of service.