For the Hunnicutt family, uniforms are the norm

For Jerry Hunnicutt and his family, a question that rarely comes up is, “What are we wearing?”

It’s something of a family tradition to feel right at home in uniform, whether it’s jeans and a Harrellsville Volunteer Fire Department tee shirt around the house, or official turnout gear when answering a call, or U.S. Air Force uniforms, which both Jerry and his wife, Lisa, once wore.

Jerry, Lisa, and daughters Elisabeth (Libby) and Megan are all certified firefighters and serve with the volunteer fire department in the Hertford County town east of Ahoskie. Son-in-law Chris currently serves while sons Christopher (Chris) and Joshua (Josh) have served as firefighters as well.

After retiring in 2008 as a first sergeant from the Air Force where he served in 13 duty stations in eight different countries, Jerry returned to his native Hertford County with Lisa and their four children.

The couple’s first duty station together was Myrtle Beach, S.C., following duty training in Illinois. Jerry Hunnicutt said he preferred duty that kept his family together and learned early that if he were willing to do what others didn’t want to do, he had more say in picking assignments.

Whereas that may have been part of the motivation, those who know him know that he was likely to volunteer for what others didn’t want to do because he knew those tasks needed doing.

As Harrellsville Mayor Rico Nuss says, “In my experience, I have never met people with bigger hearts than Jerry and Lisa Hunnicutt. They go beyond their community service of the fire department as chief and secretary and are always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.”

While Jerry Hunnicutt wore the Air Force uniform for 20 years, Lisa Hunnicutt served in the Air Force for four years officially, but as “Mama Lisa,” a rank also conferred by the town’s volunteer firefighters, she served in countless ways, such as preparing meals for young recruits far from home and organizing recreational and other activities to combat homesickness.

The family often didn’t know the names or the number of people to expect seated around their dining table or even how many turkeys were needed for any given meal, a practice impressed upon their children. And that means it’s not unusual for the Hunnicutt children to bring home a Chowan University student who may be studying abroad so that those international students can have a home-cooked meal every once in a while.

Of her parents’ example, Libby Hunnicutt says: “From defending our country to protecting our communities, my parents’ transition from military service to the fire service embodies a lifelong commitment to service and sacrifice. Their journey has taught me the values of courage, selflessness and resilience. Seeing them serve both in the military and as firefighters has inspired me to always give back to others and to never shy away from challenges.”

Likewise, younger daughter Megan Hunnicutt notes: “Growing up, I always saw my parents doing for others whether it was working on a roof for someone who couldn’t afford it, cooking someone a meal or helping someone in an emergency.”

Both daughters said they enjoyed helping their parents help people.

“I’ve learned more about God by watching my parents than anywhere else,” Megan Hunnicutt continued. “They never expect a pat on the back or a ‘thank you.’ Many times I’d watch them do for others in secret, just because ‘it was the right thing to do.’ But even when they thought no one was watching, I was.”

After returning to eastern North Carolina, Jerry Hunnicutt was recruited for the Harrellsville Volunteer Fire Department by the late Bob Dance, then mayor, during a church service at Harrellsville Baptist Church.

Although officially Jerry Hunnicutt is chief and his wife is secretary, “the real chief,” according to the chief, is Lisa Hunnicutt.

Jerry Hunnicutt also noted that both his daughters were serving with the fire department before they were 18.

In fact, when Megan Hunnicutt became certified as a firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician, she was the youngest person in North Carolina with those certifications. She says she was drawn to be a paramedic because of her parents and their example of service.

She is now a paramedic for Bertie County and fire coordinator at Roanoke-Chowan Community College, and her husband, Chris, both wear the uniform of the volunteer fire department that her parents lead; Chris having completed his training while also wearing the uniform of the U.S. Marines, one he wore for eight years.

Having served two deployments in Iraq as well as in Afghanistan, Chris served domestically in California and Colorado before coming to Camp Lejeune. While at the Marine Corps base in Jacksonville, he was able to complete his firefighter training locally, saying he was permitted to do so as long as it didn’t interfere with his duties in the Marine Corps.

Megan Hunnicutt says she was attracted to him because he had the same willingness to serve she had observed in her parents.

The intensive training volunteers must undergo is the same as for paid firefighters and makes the dedication of the volunteers all the more impressive. Almost 75 percent of all firefighters in North America are volunteer.

When Jerry Hunnicutt talks of the dedication of the volunteer firefighter, his pride in his friends and neighbors is obvious, mentioning their initial training and then the twice-monthly refresher sessions they must attend.

As he speaks of rural North Carolina, he reminds those who hear him of the benefits of the presence of volunteer firefighters, such as in lowering insurance rates. He also notes that legislators in Raleigh often do not understand rural areas and do not realize what their requirements mean for rural volunteer fire departments. He particularly remembers the devastating tornadoes of 2011 when Harrellsville wasn’t even considered for aid because it was ignored as an entity.

With five trucks and one boat, the volunteer fire department is poised to respond to the needs of its community and beyond because Hertford County now offers mutual aid for all structure fires, meaning at least two departments will respond.

The Harrellsville Volunteer Fire Department relies heavily on the over-55 crowd to be on call — but the department also has younger members, with the youngest being 18. The department’s members are all ages and from all walks of life.

Everyone has a place, and a role will be found for anyone who wants to serve. Jerry Hunnicutt emphasized that their part is not necessarily to save lives but to prolong them, to prevent pain by preventing a loss of material as well as a loss of life.

Residents in Harrellsville know assistance is just a Hunnicutt away — whether contacted by a knock on the door or a personal phone call or official dispatch. Just as Jerry Hunnicutt can remember seeing his grandfather, Leonard Hunnicutt, at home in the firefighter’s uniform, so Jerry’s grandchildren, Nienke and Natalie Grimes (children of Libby and Thomas Grimes), Reese Perrault (child of Megan and Chris Perrault), and Aileigh Hunnicutt (child of Chris and Sarah Hunnicutt) see Jerry and Lisa Hunnicutt prepare for what the family has come to call a “hot date” by suiting up to respond to a call for the volunteer fire department.

Only six years of age, granddaughter Natalie declares, “Yaya (Lisa) and Papa (Jerry) help people. It’s taught me to be loving and care about other people.”

Natalie’s older sister, Nienke (age 9), echoes those sentiments, saying, “I like that Yaya and Papa are on the fire department because it helps me trust firefighters. I like what they do for the community because it helps others.”

The grandchildren know Yaya and Papa are always at home in uniform. And that they probably will soon be as well. And that very likely might include volunteering for whatever needs doing, especially if it’s something others are not likely to want to do.