Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - On Monday, April 27, 2026, the Cherryville Fire Department held its annual awards ceremony. It was presided over by the newly promoted Chief Colby Heffner and featured awards and an inaugural oath for several of the fire department's firefighters. After remarks on how much these emergency responders are appreciated by both Mayor Wade Stroupe and City Manager Brian Dalton, the award portion of the ceremony began.
Presented by Britanny Bingham, the years-of-service award was given to three firefighters, two of whom received it for five years of service. The first to receive this was Michael Griffin, who was the only one of the three in attendance for the night. The second five-year award went to Eric Curtis. Wrapping this portion of the awards up with 20 years of service with Cherryville’s Fire Department was Adam Gunter.
The Firefighter of 2025 went to Driver Engineer Alexis Bush. She was noted for always giving 100%, which is especially appreciated in her position as an emergency responder. She is known for her consistent efforts at self-improvement, not only in training for the job but also in physical fitness. These consistent efforts have resulted in her standard becoming the standard and has strengthened the department as a whole.
This year, several firefighters were recognized for providing life-saving emergency care to several Cherryville Citizens. These were done in sets due to the team's response. The first set was awarded for their response to Susan Moss, who suffered cardiac arrest. Captain Phillip Smith, Captain Trent Rayfield, and Firefighter Hayden Burleson responded. Thanks to their CPR, Moss was able to hold on while additional medical crews responded, saving her life. After the recognitions, Susan's husband, Mark, stated, "One of the benefits of a small town is that everyone who showed up, we had a personal relationship with, that means a lot".
"I don't recall anything. I'm just very thankful that the guys were close, and they could get to me in a time that saved my life." - Susan Moss
This, however, isn’t the only instance in 2025 in which Cherryville’s Firefighters provided life-saving medical treatment. In a similar instance, Johnathan Matthews also suffered from sudden cardiac arrest in December of last year. In this instance, Driver Engineer Michael Griffin, Firefighter Christopher Smith, and Firefigther Hayden Burleson were the first to arrive at the call. Their prompt response and administration of CPR directly saved a second life. Their ability to react and maintain a careful demeanor in such intense situations enabled both Moss and Matthews to attend the awards ceremony honoring these first responders.
While the life-saving awards are a major accomplishment, the pride on the faces of the newly sworn-in firefighters shows their eagerness to continue serving during these sorts of emergencies. City Clerk Mary Beth Tackett administered the oath to the three men who were sworn in as full-fledged firefighters. Each one had an important person come forward to pin their badge on. The three who rose to this occasion were Hayden Burleson, Caleb Smith, and Drake Spence. While their service to their community may not always be saving a life or a home, their swearing in makes the city of Cherryville a little bit safer.
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