Photo by Kelly Griffith
B Shift members Lt. Stephen Young, firefighter Patrick Shambs, Lt. Patrick Brooks and Capt. Brad Mitchell practice a rescue drill at Station 1 on Main Street. Interim Fire Chief Matthew Poole said he hopes to regain trust from the Garner community that good, ethical decisions are being made since the alleged embezzlement of nearly $400,000 was discovered in January. Poole said he also would like to see the firefighters get some recognition for the great job that they perform each day.
However, the alleged embezzlement of nearly $400,000 in January left the Garner firefighters walking around town with black eyes Interim Fire Chief Matthew Poole said.
“The only thing people see is the negative publicity,” he said.
He hopes to change that mindset and boost morale among firefighters and the Garner community.
Since former Chief Phil Mitchell retired June 30, Poole stepped in and has steadily made changes to the Fire Dept. Leadership means collaborating and discussing now, he said. Even more than leadership, Poole is looking at each decision with a critical eye to make sure it’s in the best interest of the department.
“That’s important to me – that we’re making good, ethical decisions,” Poole said.
He became the voice of the department this spring, attending every budget meeting for Wake County and the Town of Garner and creating a line-item budget so County Commissioners and Town Council members could fully grasp why specific funds were needed.
It’s important to Poole to stay grounded as well. He said he promised himself when he took the Deputy Fire Chief position in January that he wouldn’t forget where he came from. So far, he has kept that promise.
Poole remembers what it’s like to be out fighting fires in the middle of the night. He helped save two children from a fire at 901 Timber Drive last year. Now, when he sees the children around town, he is proud of the work he does. He hopes the other firefighters in the department will start to get recognized more for their efforts.
With an average of 4,500 calls annually, Garner has one of the highest numbers in Wake County. The average call log in Wake County is 1,500 calls. Poole can’t say enough about the Garner firefighters that put in so much time and energy for the job.
“It takes a special person to do that,” he said.
While the changes are steadily coming, Poole is getting positive feedback from the department and community members. He is happy with the new direction.
“I don’t want to reinvent the wheel. I want to take the wheels off. I want to put rockets on it and let it fly,” he said.
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