Editor, Commonwealth:
During Marcus Banks’ tenure as Greenwood’s fire chief, he has been working hard to get our Fire Department up to par with the state-of-the-art fire stations in the South.
Since he has been chief, he has moved his department from a Level 4 fire rating to almost a Level 3. He has made us lifeguard-ready in case of a drowning. Also, firefighters man the Eddie “Sonny” Brown Memorial Pool so our kids can be safe.
All we can say when we see the chief is, “Thank you, Chief.” That will mean a lot to Chief Banks, just saying that.
Chief Banks comes from a line of good fire chiefs who taught pride in the workplace, such as George McCain and Larry Griggs. Both were great fire chiefs. And we must not forget the battalion chiefs, such as Robert Benford, Willie Coker and William Thompson.
All these men learned it the hard way, making sure each fireman goes through every test and every course to become the best they can be.
The harder-nosed of the bunch is Assistant Fire Chief John Lewis. He tells it like it is, and I know one day he will be called to lead this Fire Department.
Marcus Banks is the leader and backbone of our Fire Department. Men respect him for his leadership. That says a lot about Chief Banks.
Each week Chief Banks recognizes a firefighter for a job well done during the week. I know it makes the men proud to be named Firefighter of the Week.
Chief Banks is a people person. He doesn’t care what background you come from. He talks to you like he’s known you for years. I like that about our fire chief.
We have much to be thankful for in a chief who loves his job and the people he serves.
Carl Winters
Greenwood
