A Volunteer's Volunteer - Brian Martin

Saturday, January 31, 2009

At its annual awards event in November, the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company recognized Wayne Fuller as its 2008 Firefighter of the Year, an honor bestowed by the membership via secret ballot. Our good judgment in selecting Wayne was reinforced when the Sussex County Volunteer Firemen's Association also honored him as Firefighter of the Year from among the county's 21 fire companies. If you ask our members about either of these awards, all will say they are well-deserved. Wayne was born in the Govans area of Baltimore. When pressed for the year, the most you might get is that he is part of Tom Brokaw's Greatest Generation. After graduating from Baltimore Poly, he served in the U.S. Navy for four years as a boiler technician. Upon discharge, he enrolled in the University of Maryland and graduated with a degree in industrial engineering. He spent the next 32 years as a safety engineer living in Maryland with his wife, Sue, a school teacher, and their two daughters. At one point, he was president of the Washington, D.C., chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers and he is still a certified safety professional. The sun shone on the Quiet Resorts in 1993 when Wayne and Sue retired and moved to Bethany Beach. Wayne took the job he holds today as maintenance manager for the Christian Church Conference Center and joined the fire company. He completed fire school and rode the trucks for two years before a broken wrist moved him to the fire police. Beyond responding to hundreds of emergencies each year, Wayne made and continues to make important contributions to the successful day-to-day operation of the company. Starting as a member of the bingo committee, he became bingo chair and fire recorder before being elected to the assistant treasurer and treasurer positions on the board of directors. He is currently chair of the pension and mutual relief committees. Wayne's contribution to the community extends far beyond his fire service. He was on the Bethany Beach Planning Commission for five years and was a town councilman for 10 more. Sue shares a love of service with Wayne. She is a long time member of the ladies' auxiliary and has served as president for four years. It is rare to not see them together at the station when they are not pursuing their favorite hobby, traveling to see their children and grandchildren. It's a real pleasure to see someone like Wayne, who'll do anything for anybody, receive richly deserved recognition. Please join us in congratulating him on these great events. Brian Martin is Fire Chief for the BBVFC, which he joined in 1997 after four years as a volunteer in the Philadelphia area. He is past deputy fire chief, a nationally certified Firefighter II and was the BBVFC's Firefighter of the Year in 2007. He lives in Ocean View with his wife, Jesika, a BBVFC member, and their two children, and operates Martin Services LLC, a property management and home improvement firm, with his father, Jack, another member. He can be reached at [email protected]