Fire & Rescue Banquet Honors Heroism, Teamwork, and a Life Saved

A man from Norristown is alive today thanks to Emanuel County Fire & Rescue, and a plaque for the Above & Beyond Award now hangs in Charles Headrick’s living room, reminding him daily of the role he played in that life-saving mission.

The moment that connects those two facts took center stage during Emanuel County Fire & Rescue’s third annual awards banquet when Teddy Bailey stood before the department to present Headrick with its highest honor. Bailey had been riding his ATV near his home the morning after historic Hurricane Helene surveying the damage when the vehicle ran over a downed powerline. The line wrapped around the wheel and flipped the ATV, ejecting Bailey and leaving him severely injured with an arterial bleed and a deep cut to the side of his head.

Headrick was heading back toward the station when he came upon the scene, unaware until that moment that the man in need was someone he knew. He was first to respond and first to act. There was no way for an ambulance to reach the site, with trees and storm debris blocking every route. Power was out across the county. Cell towers were down. Helicopters couldn’t fly. The nearest bridge was barely passable.

Working in tight quarters and with limited resources, Headrick found the artery and held pressure to slow the bleeding. The rest of the team quickly arrived and jumped in. Some helped to manage Teddy’s injuries while others raced ahead to cut a right-of-way to clear a path to the bridge. With time running out, the crew of first responders decided to load Teddy into the passenger seat of the rescue truck and transport him the old-fashioned way. Headrick drove the truck, and a firefighter sat behind Teddy to stabilize his head. When they reached the bridge, coroner Jeffrey Peebles was waiting with an ambulance.

“They did everything they could. Nobody hesitated,” Bailey recalled. He continued, “I don’t remember a whole lot about that day, but I do remember one thing very clearly. Charles said, ‘We gotta get him to the hospital. We gotta find a way. And we gotta do it fast.’ Charles made the call, and everybody else did what it took to get me there. I feel in my heart if Charles hadn’t been there that morning, if he hadn’t come up on my accident, I wouldn’t be here today. I’ve said that a lot—and I mean it every time.”

Bailey spent 62 days combined between hospital stays and rehabilitation at an Augusta-area hospital, then at Shepherd Center, recovering from injuries. Miraculously, he suffered no traumatic brain injury and has no long-term effects for the most part.

When asked to present Headrick with the Above & Beyond Award, Bailey said he was happy to oblige.

“[Public Safety Coordinator] Courtney [Terwilliger] called and asked if I’d be willing to present it, and it made my day,” he said during the ceremony. “On behalf of me and my family, I’m proud to honor Charles Headrick with the Above & Beyond Award.”

Bailey has been quick to note that although Headrick received the award (and rightfully so), he didn’t work alone. From the start, several neighbors and family friends—some of whom were credentialed nurses—were already on scene or arrived soon after to help. Once he reached Emanuel Medical Center, that same spirit continued. Power was still out, but hospital staff worked by flashlight to stabilize him. Bailey said it was the kind of response only a tight-knit community could deliver.

“The whole community came together that day, but the fire department led the way,” Bailey said. “Charles had a lot of help—but it started with him. I’ll never be able to say ‘thank you’ enough.”

Terwilliger echoed that sentiment and called the rescue a complicated, high-stakes situation.

“Charles took the lead and made quick decisions that helped save a life,” Terwilliger said. “It was one of those moments where training, instinct, and staying calm under pressure made all the difference.”

Headrick, moved by the recognition, credited the team around him.

A firefighter since 2004, Headrick said this was the first rescue he’d ever encountered involving an arterial bleed and, like Terwilliger noted, one of the most complex situations he’s ever faced. Between downed phone lines, blocked access, and no safe way to employ the use of a chopper, every option felt like a long shot.

“I had people yelling, ‘You need to get him to the hospital!’ and all I could think was, ‘If you can get me a helicopter, I will. Until then, we’ve got to figure out how,’” Headrick said. “I think we did a pretty good job of utilizing our medical training, so that wasn’t the nerve-wracking part. The part that rattled me was knowing this man’s life was in our hands and feeling like we didn’t have a way to save it. Then the severity of the situation hit me and something kicked in and we got creative.”

He says he entered the banquet that evening with no expectations, but spotting Teddy Bailey in the room caught him off guard.

“At first I thought, ‘Oh Lord! What’s he doing here?’ Headrick said with a chuckle. “But I still didn’t have a clue until he got up and started speaking. I simply wasn’t expecting anything like a recognition. I was just doing what I was supposed to.”

Bailey presenting him with the award brought the whole room to its feet. It was Headrick’s first honor of this kind.

“That standing ovation got me,” he said simply and quietly. As for that shiny plaque Teddy handed him afterward, it provides him today an opportunity to appeal to the masses.

“If there’s one thing I’d tell folks after something like this, it’s this: If you’ve never taken a first aid class, go take one. It might save someone’s life one day.”

Originally scheduled just a few weeks after Helene’s landfall, the banquet had been postponed twice—first due to storm recovery efforts and again, fittingly, due to an uncharacteristic heavy snow a few months later. But the timing seemed to fall into place. What began as a formal night of recognition became a reflection of everything the department has faced, and overcome, since September.

Helene made landfall on September 26, leaving behind catastrophic damage. Emanuel County sustained more than $1 million in cleanup costs alone, and the entire power grid had to be rebuilt. From the morning immediately after the storm and through the subsequent 24 hours alone, fire and rescue responded to 54 calls. Two of those calls were for structure fires as a direct result of the storm, one at a church and another at a residence during power restoration. This adds to another 785 calls of various types the department answered before and after the storm throughout 2024.

That volume and the professionalism with which each call was answered reflected in this year’s award recipients.

Firefighter of the Year awards were presented across 13 response districts, honoring firefighters who expertly answer the call of duty: Jim Sanders (Swainsboro), Dusty Holden (Red Oak), William Lake Clark (Stillmore), George Harrison (Cross Green), Kelvin Turner (Canoochee), David Ellington (Garfield), Johnny Mills (Nunez), Joey Amerson (Norristown), Jason Funderburk (Twin City), John Torpy (Dellwood), and Gary Green (Adrian).

Oak Park’s Dylan Slater and Summertown’s Jamie Johnson both received double honors. Slater was named Firefighter of the Year and also received this year’s Persistence Award, which highlights outstanding growth and consistency in the field. Johnson, also named Firefighter of the Year for his district, was recognized for reaching 10 years of dedicated service with the department.

Several other firefighters were also honored for their longstanding commitment to Emanuel County Fire & Rescue. John Moore and Spencer Wood were recognized for an impressive 40 years with the department, William “Bill” Cahill was honored for 25 years of service, and Linda Coleman and Travis Neal both received 20-year awards. Matthew Wiggins was recognized for 15 years of service. Jake Atkinson, Kelvin Daily, and Marshall Williamson were given 10-year service awards, and rounding out the honorees were Frank Scruggs, Hunter Hooks, Justin Price, Kevin Sutton, Michael Meadows, and Robert Hill, all of whom received 5-year service awards.

“To have volunteers giving 10, 20, even 40 years of service to this county—that says something about who they are,” Terwilliger said. “You can’t teach that kind of commitment.”

In 2024, the department’s responsibilities also grew. Fire & Rescue officially took over fire protection services for the cities of Nunez and Summertown. (This was simply a formality in many ways but an important milestone in countywide fire coordination nonetheless). Emanuel County also welcomed several new recruits to the department in 2024 as 11 “probies” (or new firefighters) joined the roster.

Operationally, the county moved closer to the completion of its P-25 digital radio system, which will replace the outdated analog system and streamline communications across all public safety agencies. Emanuel County also secured nearly $750,000 in federal funding for two new engines and 10 new sets of turnout gear, further strengthening emergency response capacity across the county.

The department’s presence online also grew with the launch of a new section on the recently redesigned county website, giving residents easier access to department contacts, forms, and resources like burn permits and fire reports.

Additionally, Emanuel County welcomed longtime firefighter and former Twin City Volunteer Fire Chief Foster Grimes to the role of Fire Support/Public Safety Officer, bringing decades of experience into a new era of countywide coordination.

“It’s not just about where we’ve been; it’s where we’re going,” Terwilliger said. “And with this team, I’m more confident than ever that we’re ready for whatever comes next.”

The Emanuel County Board of Commissioners governs Emanuel County, focusing on legislative and administrative responsibilities. Comprised of representatives from five districts, the board oversees policies and programs that impact local development, budgeting, and public services. Commissioners work collectively to ensure fiscal responsibility and address community needs, collaborating with other county departments and agencies. They are committed to supporting economic growth, public safety, and community well-being across Emanuel County.

For more information about the commissioners and for the latest from the county government, visit 124 North Main Street in Swainsboro; call 478-237-3881; follow us on Facebook; or visit www.emanuelco-ga.gov.