Late Monroe County Emergency Services (MCES) firefighter Harold Boone was honored on Friday, Oct. 14 as one of 16 new additions to the Georgia Public Safety Training Center’s (GPSTC) Public Safety Memorial Wall.
Boone, a firefighter/emergency medical responder (EMR) for MCES from 2016-20, died on Nov. 2, 2020 at the age of 49 following complications from COVID-19. Boone was a fixture at MCES Headquarters Station One during his four-year tenure, renowned for his skills at servicing fire trucks, cooking and mentorship of young firefighters. Boone spent 25 years with the Macon-Bibb Fire Department before retiring and joining MCES. Led by friend and fellow firefighter Dr. Margie Bryant, MCES holds an annual virtual 5K road race in Boone’s memory, and the next race is slated for Saturday, Nov. 12. Proceeds are directed toward a college scholarship fund for Boone’s granddaughter Nyjhae Boone-Whitehead.
On Friday, GPSTC held its 25th annual Georgia Fallen Firefighter Memorial Ceremony to recognize firefighters/EMTs who lost their lives while on active duty. Boone’s family, including wife Sharon and mother Hattie, accepted a plaque and a medal to memorialize Boone. At the conclusion of a nearly hour-long ceremony, Boone’s name was etched onto the GPSTC Public Safety Memorial Wall, which has stood since 1997.
Gary Clark, President of the Georgia State Firefighters Association, gave the opening remarks at Friday’s ceremony, saying that firefighting is not just a job, it’s “a calling upon one’s life.”
Clark told the family members and friends of the 16 fallen firefighters: “We want to give thanks to you for sharing their lives with us.”
Cherokee County Fire Chief Eddie Robinson, who gave the memorial address, said a name on the GPSTC Public Safety Memorial Wall not only signifies a fallen hero, but “a family that is grieving and a community that has suffered a great loss.”
Speaking to the many firefighters in the room, Robinson said the greatest tribute they can give their fallen brothers and sisters is to get right back to work and answer the next call they receive.
Robinson said of firefighters: “We’re willing to make that ultimate sacrifice when it’s time to do the right thing.”
Sharon Boone, Boone’s wife of 32 years, said about a dozen family members and friends were in attendance on Friday in addition to about 20 representatives of MCES.
Sharon Boone said of the ceremony to recognize her late husband’s service: “It really means a lot.”
Boone’s mother Hattie said she misses her son and still thinks about him daily.
Hattie Boone said rhetorically: “He left us, but we just don’t ever know in life, do we?”
MCES Battalion Chief Clay Walton said he’s been to the GPSTC Public Safety Memorial Wall ceremony before but never to memorialize a friend from his own department.
“When you come here for the first time and you see this and you’ve never experienced a line-of-duty death in your department, it’s a wake-up call,” Walton said. “It’s what could possibly happen. And when you witness it and you see it after dealing with the loss of a friend, a co-worker, somebody in your own agency, it’s devastating. Because all of the memories rush back of the fun times, the sad times, and everything you experienced together.”
Walton said he always admired the way Boone listened and gave advice to others.
“Harold was everyone’s therapist,” Walton said. “Harold was somebody that was easy to confide in and you would tell your whole life’s story to, and he would listen. Four o’clock in the morning, 2:30 in the afternoon, Harold was there to listen, and he was there to try to help you. And don’t expect him to try to sugarcoat anything.”
Other fallen firefighters whose names were added to the GPSTC Public Safety Memorial Wall on Friday included: Christopher Applebee of the Statesboro Fire Department, Darrol Brazil of the Bulloch County Fire Department, Christopher Clifton of the Screven County Fire Department/Newington Volunteer Fire Department, John Gaddy of the Forest Park Fire Department, James Guiler of the Heard County Fire Emergency Services, Tommy Hopson of Carroll County Fire Rescue, Thomas Kerr of the Brooks County Fire Department, Richard Knight of the Winterville Fire Department, Royce McNeese of the Claxton Fire Department, Timothy Watson of Barrow County Emergency Services, John Cash of the McDonough Fire Department, Justin Robinson of the Haralson County Fire Department, George Childs of the Arcade Fire Department, Micheal McFadden of the Savannah Fire Department, and Lonnie Williamson of the Augusta Fire Department.
