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All Departments Administration Corrections Development Services Facilities Management Human Resources Information Technology Library Services Management and Budget Services Natural Resources Management Neighborhood and Human Services Parks and Recreation Public Safety Public Works Veterans Services Waste ServicesEscambia County Fire Rescue is pleased to announce that Fire and Life Specialist Ray Melton was selected as one of American City & County's 2022 Exemplary Public Services for his dedication to fire prevention and education in Escambia County. American City and County, a local and state government news agency, publicly made the announcement on Monday, April 10.
Ray Melton's interest in the fire service began when he was five years old when firefighters saved his life after he became sick and stopped breathing. After joining the Army at 17 as a finance specialist, he transferred to a firefighting position when the opportunity became available.
In 2016, Melton discovered his passion for fire prevention, but it came with tragedy. On an early Thursday morning, four children lost their lives in Pensacola after a water heater shorted out, causing a deadly fire. From there, Melton knew he had to do something.
Following the tragedy, Melton has worked to make sure another deadly incident like that would never happen again. While with ECFR, Melton has implemented a number of effective and innovative fire prevention programs, such as the county's "Ready, Set, Go" wildland-urban interface education initiative, where he partners with local forestry personnel to host educational programs with urban communities that could be affected by wildfires.
Last year, Melton started the home fire safety program. The program is an opportunity for Escambia County residents to request to have their homes inspected for any potential fire hazards, such as exposed wiring, burned electrical outlets and non-functioning smoke detectors. Since then, Melton has inspected numerous Escambia County homes and identified several potential fire hazards, leading to preventative maintenance in those homes.
"My seven years with ECFR have been very rewarding in that we have saved lives through education," said Melton. "The greatest rewards come when I get feedback from our citizens who explain how grateful they are for our implemented programs that bring fire safety to them on a personal level or when they tell me that after we installed alarms in their home, the alarms saved their life. Bringing awareness to a personal level lets our citizens know we truly care about them and even though we will not prevent many fires, the awareness we bring to their homes will save lives."
If you want a courtesy fire safety inspection for your home, contact Ray Melton at remelton@myescambia.com or call (850) 471-6525.
ECFR is available to provide and install smoke detectors free of charge for residents. For information about obtaining a home smoke detector, call 850-595-HERO (4376) or request a smoke detector online through Ask MyEscambia. City of Pensacola residents may call 850-436-5200 for smoke detector installation assistance.
Read the American City & County article about Ray here.
ECFR's Fire and Life Specialist Ray Melton
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