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Lane Steele will have served the Magee Volunteer Fire Department 35 years on Wednesday, March 13th!
Lane joined the MFD on March 13, 1984 as a 24-year-old. At that time, the fire department had 4 trucks! Lane explained to me that originally the department allowed only 30 members. When Pat Allen retired, Lane received an invitation to join the group and has never looked back!
Lane is the fifth fire chief. F. J. Dickey, Eddie Coggins, Tommy Everett, and John Everett held the position before Lane.
Fire Marshal Charlie Valadie stated, “each of them (the chiefs) contributed by building towards the current level we enjoy today. A pathway of excellent service toward the level of a professional rating which few volunteer departments can ever reach.”
Not only is the Magee Fire Department celebrating Lane’s life as a fireman, but also the awarding of the Magee Volunteer Fire Department as a class 5 rating. “The class 5 rating didn’t happen overnight,” explained Lane,” years of work went into the change in our rating and we are continuing to work toward a Class 4 rating.” The fire rating affects the insurance rate for every citizen and business in Magee.
As I studied Lane’s achievements, the one that really stuck out to me was Mississippi Fireman of the Year in 1998 and just think…Lane was young then!
In 2008, Lane became Simpson County Firefighters Association President. In 1998 and 2004 Lane made 100% of the fire calls.
Lane has 31 years of perfect meeting attendance. The Chief has missed only 4 meetings in the 35 years; which means, he has attended 836 of 840 meetings held during this 35-year period. In 1991 and 1998 Lane was the recipient of Firefighter of the Year for the Magee Fire Department.
In 2016, Lane was the recipient of the Magee Fire Department Golden Heart Award. This award is presented to someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty to help one of his fellow firefighters out in a time of need.
Lane is a man of commitment. He has served as Ward 3 Alderman for 21 years and has perfect attendance for all 504 City of Magee Board meetings! He was name Magee Citizen of the Year 2004-2005.
I could go on and on about what Lane has done through the fire department…the awards and recognition he has received…but to me, Lane’s heart and soul is what counts. He has a love for our city, the firemen, and the citizens that one doesn’t often find.
Not many people are willing nor able to make the commitment to the Fire Department. Lane told me that years ago, almost every fireman worked inside the city limits…getting to a fire was not a huge problem. Now, so many people work away from where they live and cannot give the needed time to this organization. Lane told me filling the firemen rolls is a problem at every Volunteer fire department.
Simpson County has 7 fire departments. For years, Magee and Mendenhall covered all the fires in the county. The dedication of neighbors all over the county made local fire departments a reality.
I’ve seen Lane hands on fight many a fire. I’ve seen Lane drive the firetrucks fire after fire. I’ve seen Lane move from a hands on to a leader of men. The responsibility a chief feels for his men always weighs heavily.
Lane has been instrumental in promoting training for the firemen. The type fires fought when Lane began in 1984 has changed. As Chief, Lane has continually sought fire training schools and paved the way for his men to attend the classes.
I kind of miss the “old” fire whistle! When the whistle blew, the men went running. Now, with pagers and cell phones the firemen have an upgraded system to alert one another.
Thank you, Lane, for your dedication and love of Magee. We hope to see you running the show for 35 more years!
Below is a video with Lane. I honestly never thought I would get him to actually film a video…but I did! Great job, Lane.