09/24/2026
September is Firefighter Appreciation Month.
There are a lot of firefighters who deserve to be recognized. There are a lot of chiefs who deserve to be thanked.
But today, I want to tell you about a man who was so much more than a firefighter.
Chief Monty Billings.
Monty gave nearly five decades of his life to the fire service. Five decades of answering calls, helping people, building departments, training firefighters, serving his community, and most importantly — investing in people.
In the early 1990s, Monty, along with others, helped build what is now the Spring Creek Fire Department. With very little funding and very few resources, they built some of the department’s first trucks from the ground up.
They didn’t have much.
But they had a willingness to work, a desire to serve, and a belief that their community was worth fighting for.
At the Glenmora Fire Department, Monty served as Assistant Chief and later as Fire Chief.
But calling him “Chief” doesn’t really tell you who he was.
Monty wasn’t the kind of chief who stood in the background and simply gave orders.
He led from the front.
If his firefighters went through a door, Monty wanted to be right there with them.
If his guys were inside a fire, you could rest assured Monty would be standing at that front door, trying to inch his way inside to be alongside them.
That’s the kind of leader he was.
But his service wasn’t limited to fire calls.
Monty believed in serving the whole community.
He started an Easter egg hunt and made sure the children had door prizes. And thankfully, that was one event I didn’t have to dress up for because the Easter Bunny suit wouldn’t fit me!
But Monty made sure the Easter Bunny showed up.
Not just at the egg hunt, either.
That bunny traveled around town visiting some of our elderly citizens, bringing smiles to people who absolutely loved seeing him.
At Halloween, Monty helped transform the fire station bay into a spooky room for the kids to walk through while they received their candy.
And then came the Christmas parade.
One year, Monty decided we were going to build a float.
We worked.
And worked.
And worked.
That first year, we brought home second place.
After that, there was no more settling for second.
Every year, we went after that winning float.
There were long hours, hard work, and plenty of laughs along the way.
Looking back, those were some of the memories I will cherish forever.
Because that’s another thing Monty gave us.
Memories.
He always told us:
“Just because I’m the Chief doesn’t mean y’all can’t come up with ideas too.”
A few of us approached him with an idea about purchasing a Sparky for the department. We laid out our plan and explained how we thought we could make it happen.
I still remember him looking up from his desk.
He didn’t tell us it couldn’t be done.
He didn’t tell us we didn’t have the money.
He simply said:
“We’ll get to work.”
And that’s exactly what we did.
Boot drives.
Car washes.
Bake sales.
BBQs.
Whatever it took.
And Chief was right there working alongside us.
After nearly a year of hard work, we finally accomplished our goal and ordered our Sparky.
The same Sparky we still have and use today.
That story says a lot about Monty.
He didn’t just tell the younger generation what to do.
He believed in us.
He gave us responsibility.
He gave us opportunities.
He pushed us.
And he prepared us for the day when we would have to carry the torch ourselves.
Monty understood something that every great leader understands:
The future of the fire service isn’t built by standing in front of people. It’s built by investing in the people who will one day stand in your place.
For 18 years, I had the privilege of being one of his “youngins.”
And I don’t take that privilege lightly.
In 2024, the fire service lost a giant.
But here’s the thing about men like Monty…
They don’t really leave us.
Their voices stay with us.
Their lessons stay with us.
Their stories stay with us.
The things they taught us show up in the way we lead, the way we serve, and the way we treat the people who come after us.
Every time one of his “youngins” puts on that gear…
Every time we answer a call…
Every time we help someone in our community…
Every time we teach the next generation…
a little bit of Monty is still there.
His service didn’t end in 2024.
His legacy continues through the people he poured himself into.
So during Firefighter Appreciation Month, I don’t just want to say thank you to Chief Monty Billings.
I want to say thank you for nearly five decades of service.
Thank you for leading from the front.
Thank you for believing in us.
Thank you for giving us opportunities.
Thank you for teaching us that being a firefighter isn’t just about fighting fires.
It’s about serving people.
It’s about serving your community.
It’s about being there when people need you most.
And most of all, thank you for showing us what it means to be a true servant leader.
We honor Chief Monty Billings.
A firefighter.
A chief.
A mentor.
A leader.
A friend.
And to so many of us…
a second family.
Rest easy, Chief.
You’ve done your part.
We’ll take it from here.
🚒❤️🔥
Your legacy lives on.
