Joe Gray, the Little Rock Fire Department's chief fire marshal, believes in paying it forward.
He became a firefighter because he enjoyed helping others and credits retired Fire Capt. Floyd Burns, the city's first black firefighter, and current Fire Chief Gregory Summers as role models.
"When I was out at the fire stations, I would show up [at fire scenes] to help someone when things in their life [were] going bad or very wrong, and I would make things a little bit better for them after I left the scene," he says. "Now I try and help minorities in a different way to achieve their dreams by providing scholarships."
He does this through his volunteer work with Finding Incentives Reaching and Empowering Students Inc., or FIRES for short. The group's mission is to improve fire service job opportunities for minorities and encourage education related to fire and emergency services.
The organization offers full emergency medical technician scholarships to students who enroll at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Gray has served as the organization's executive director since its inception nine years ago and is again gearing up for its annual Firefighters All White Affair. The popular fundraiser is planned for Saturday at the Little Rock Marriott. Guests are encouraged to don white for the evening, which will include food, entertainment and dancing.
Gray has been a member of the Fire Department since October 1987. FIRES came about, he says, because "we were finding out that during the initial hiring of firefighters, the ... hardest part to get through was the [training] to get your EMT certification. If we could recruit individuals that were already EMT-certified, that would help them in the process of becoming ... a firefighter or becoming an EMT working with the hospital or working in some health-related field capacity.
"So we thought that if we gave out scholarships, that we could encourage them to go in that direction," Gray says. FIRES has awarded 25 scholarships of $1,500 each, totaling $37,500, with the help of the Firefighters All White Affair. This year's soiree is the eighth.
The event was born of a brainstorming session among Gray, Summers and the group's deputy director, Little Rock Fire Capt. DeArthur Jordan. Originally named the Fire Chief's All White Affair, it first took place in the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Center. Capacity was 300, "and I think we had about 350 people there," Gray says. "People were standing up, and they were like, 'Wow.'"
The event was soon moved to the Marriott. "Each year it's gotten bigger and bigger," Gray says, and it usually sells out.
The affair has featured music from several major recording artists, including R&B singer Glenn Jones and the R&B groups Silk and H-town. Hip-hop violinist Michael Ward of New Orleans has performed at multiple affairs. This year, FIRES partnered with Vibe Events. Performers will include the Rodney Block Collective and the On Call Band. Comedian Jeremiah J.J. Williamson will host. In addition, disc jockeys will be spinning tunes.
"We're going to make it a rooftop party" where guests can mingle in or out of the hotel, Gray says. "We're just trying to get some of the younger crowd there to get them interested in not just the white party, but maybe [in] becoming EMTs as well."
There's not a specific fundraising goal, Gray says. "We just try to raise as much money as we can to give out as many scholarships as we can." Planning for the event starts in January each year. "I get a lot of enjoyment out of it, and I know it's [for] a purpose."
Jessica Cruz, 28, is among the beneficiaries. The firefighter with Station No. 23 in west Little Rock recently celebrated her one-year anniversary on the job.
After spending several years in the banking profession, "I kind of just got tired with it, knowing that I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life," Cruz says. A billboard advertising for Fire Department recruits sparked a dream of becoming a firefighter. Told about the scholarship opportunity with FIRES, she applied and received the scholarship she needed to finish her emergency medical technician training after a break due to a health issue.
"I definitely couldn't see myself doing anything else," she says. "I love everything about this job."
She's grateful to Gray and FIRES.
"I don't know many organizations [that] would stick their neck out ... to promote minorities and women to come in and be a part of the [department]," she says. "I think that it's awesome that [they] try to get out there and reach out to the community and do as much as they can ... to try to help others."
The eighth annual Firefighters All White Affair starts at 8 p.m Saturday in the Grand Ballroom and Rivertop of the Little Rock Marriott. Tickets start at $35. Information and tickets are available at firesfoundation.com and eventbrite.com.
High Profile on 06/25/2017