Lenoir chief named top N.C. firefighter

Accidentally setting off an alarm got him hooked

Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007

By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer

LENOIR --Ken Briscoe feels most comfortable with a fire hose and a blaze to battle, but being named top fireman in the state for 2007 isn't bad either.

Briscoe, a 30-year firehouse veteran and Lenoir's fire chief for the last three years, was honored by the N.C. State Firemen's Association last month and ranked no. 1 by his colleagues across the state.

"We're all nozzlemen, and we're all in the same uniform," he said. "It's humbling to be picked by my peers from the 40,000 firefighters in the state."

It's been a three-decade journey through blazing homes and businesses, car wrecks, emergency medical calls and training exercises that has led Briscoe, 52, to his post of Lenoir fire chief.

And over the years, he's seen almost every aspect of firefighting -- from massive furniture factory blazes to administrative paperwork -- and says the hands-on work is what makes his job so great.

"My work is my hobby," he said. "It's a pretty good deal."

After graduating from Hudson High School in 1972, Briscoe began working for a company that installed smoke detectors in buildings across the county.

One day, he said, he was hooking up a system in a nursing home when he accidentally backed into the fire alarm, drawing a crew of firefighters and trucks wailing to the center.
"I thought that was pretty neat," he said.

So he went to the Hudson Volunteer Fire Department and signed up to work with the crew there. Within a year, he had moved onto the Lenoir Fire Department, taking a full-time job and starting his first 24-hour shift on Jan. 1, 1974.

For 10 years, Briscoe steadily fought blazes threatening Lenoir and Caldwell County homes and businesses, rescued people involved in accidents and responded to medical calls.

By the time he left the Lenoir Fire Department in 1984 to join the N.C. Department of Insurance with the state fire marshal's office, Briscoe had worked his way up to the rank of captain.

He worked as a trainer with the fire marshal's office for the next 20 years, setting fire to abandoned farmhouses and other structures across the state and sending fire crews in to quench the flames.

But his expertise didn't stop at teaching crews how to put out fires. He also managed the certification process for the state Fire and Rescue Commission, creating the curriculum, writing tests and helping with evaluations.

The job took Briscoe across the state, working with more than 1,400 departments and 40,000 firefighters in North Carolina's 100 counties.

Then, in 2004, he returned to Lenoir as chief and with a resume stocked with accolades from across the state.

That, coupled with recommendations from Lenoir City Manager Lane Bailey, U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry and a slew of firefighters, helped secure the Firemen's Association award last month.
Since taking the top post in Lenoir's 58-member department, Briscoe has focused on offering more training opportunities for his firefighters, pushing for higher certifications and raising salaries for crew members who pursue higher education.

Lt. Sam Smith, who began working with the Lenoir department in 1983 and became the firehouse's first-ever public information officer three years ago, said Briscoe pushes his crew to do better for city residents.

"He's not just an administrator," Smith said. "He's tough and wants to see what (his crew) can handle."

Briscoe, who still works as a volunteer firefighter with the Gamewell department, has also found funding to upgrade Lenoir's outdated trucks, created an intern program for high school students thinking about careers in firefighting and started a fire prevention program for Caldwell County students.

"I enjoy firefighting, and love teaching about it," he said. "I've had so many opportunities, and at some point, you have to put back what you've taken out."

Still, after three decades, Smith said, grabbing a hose and heading toward a blaze is what really gets Briscoe going.

"He's a fireman's fireman," Smith said. "We'll say, `Chief, we have people to do that,' and he'll just say, `I know, but I love it.' "


The Briscoe File
Full name: Kenneth Mell Briscoe

Age: 52

Birthplace: Fort Campbell, Ky. Briscoe, the son of a soldier, lived in Germany, Hawaii, Alaska, Texas and Virginia. When his father was overseas on two Vietnam tours, Briscoe and his mother returned to her hometown, Lenoir.

Education: Graduated from Hudson High in 1972; graduated from the National Fire Academy in Emmittsburg, Md., where he is also an adjunct instructor.

Family: wife, Paula, 46; son, Joe, 25

Professional background: Western Fireman's Association board; board member and instructor for the N.C. Fire College; board member and instructor for the N.C. Breathing Equipment School; board member and instructor for the Unified Command and Control School; staff member on the N.C. Fire and Rescue Commission, the N.C. Fire and Rescue Certification board and the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress; instructor at the N.C. Rescue College and the N.C. High Angle School.

Fun fact: Briscoe has traveled to nearly every state and has visited all of Canada's provinces as an instructor with the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress. "I don't have any hobbies besides the fire service," Briscoe said. "And that's an experience that could not be matched because I got to see so many places and organizations."

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