Sidney fire chief learned from great examples

As volunteers for so many community services across the country have significantly decreased, in particular those volunteers dependent on rural fire departments, the Sidney Volunteer Fire Department in Beaufort County has seen an increase in their volunteer firefighters.

That has come in large part due to the leadership of Chief Stephen Leighty.

Leighty credited both his grandfather and father, not for just his love of firefighting, but for the importance of helping your community.

His grandfather, Albert T. Leighty, was a dairy farmer outside of Pittsburgh and showed his son, Bill, the importance of working hard and helping the community in which they lived. Albert Leighty was involved in both his church and the local school, used his farm tractor to plow snow-covered roads and was a member of the Masonic Lodge.

Bill Leighty shared the love of farming, but unfortunately, after the devastation Hurricane Agnes caused in 1972 to most of Pennsylvania, they had to make decisions about rebuilding the farm. Bill Leighty knew he wanted to continue farming, so after using a coin flip, he decided to move his wife and four children to North Carolina.

Bill Leighty bought a farm, had two more children (Stephen Leighty being the second to the youngest) and was instrumental in helping to organize the foundation for the Sidney Fire Department, which was built strictly on donations. Here he became a volunteer firefighter and eventually, the department’s chief.

Stephen Leighty fondly remembers being fascinated with the sights and sounds of the firetrucks and going with his dad to the fire station, but his first memory was being around eight years old during an oyster roast fundraiser for the station where his job was to keep bringing out the oysters.

With a mischievous look in his eye, he shared another memory of being about 10 years old with his younger sister playing in the field behind their house. They happened to come across a fire ant hill and decided to start a fire to burn them. He remembered taking a piece of straw to stir the ants around when the fire started to burn.

Their housekeeper happened to look out the window and called in the fire, but Leighty remembered being captivated by the fire and the lights. Fortunately, nobody was hurt and the small fire was quickly extinguished.

It was then that Leighty learned a valuable life lesson from his father. He didn’t get into trouble, but his dad explained the severity of how someone could have gotten hurt. He also stressed that the firefighters may have been called from their jobs or may have been needed for an emergency elsewhere. Leighty said he then understood the lesson about being concerned for your community and the welfare of others.

Leighty continued his fascination with his dad’s work in firefighting until he was old enough to join the department himself as a junior firefighter. He recalled being around 16 years old in 1991 and responding (in the background due to his age) to a call of an overturned tanker carrying 1,500 gallons of fuel on a road in Belhaven. Unfortunately, the driver was killed, but Leighty vividly remembered watching the fireball the fuel caused jet down the road.

He shared another incident involving three young children who were left alone. The house caught on fire and while one child survived as he ran for help, his two younger siblings perished in the fire, a traumatic sight Leighty said he can still see.

The memories are too numerous to mention, but another incident that stood out in Leighty’s mind was witnessing poor firefighting tactics resulting in the total loss of a home.

Leighty said the tragic memories are not something you can forget.

“You don’t. And back in those days, you kept everything inside and didn’t talk about it,” he said.

Leighty acknowledged that he did try to handle it by himself, resulting in some poor decision-making and self-medicating to try to ease his pains. He realized he hit rock bottom when he was confronted by his wife and father. Leighty sought help, and in 2019, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has been in therapy since 2023.

Leighty credited therapy with the growth and success of the fire department. With the memories of the fatalities and loss of property he has seen, Leighty has made it his mission to increase training for himself as well as his current roster of 28 other volunteers.

Leighty touted having a great team around him; everyone is always present and eager for all training opportunities. Referencing how he was unable to handle his own trauma, he has instilled something he called “Around the Kitchen Table.” This is a periodic invitation to firefighters to literally sit around the table after Leighty prepares (using his own money) a big home-cooked breakfast at the station.

Members are encouraged to talk about and share anything weighing on their minds; it could be home life, firefighting, questions or concerns about equipment or football. There is no limit to the topics that can be casually chatted about.

“There is sure to be a lot of laughs, but I want them to know we can get through anything together,” he stressed.

Bill Leighty said he is proud of his son’s success as chief.

“He’s a good leader, he’s increased membership, he’s enthusiastic and everyone feeds off of that,” he said. “He’s doing a great job.”

After hearing that, Stephen Leighty smiled and stated proudly, “My dad and I are not just father and son, he’s my best friend.”