By Randy Capps
Johnston County has seen more than a few changes in the last 20 years. But in a whirlwind of new people, new buildings and competing visions for the future, some things remain constant.
Chris Ellington is one of those mainstays. He’s marking 20 years as chief of the Cleveland Fire Department this month, and his two decades of service to the department, and the community in which he grew up, has earned him the Johnston Now Honors Outstanding Firefighter Award.
“When I first became the chief as a volunteer, I had two two paid employees,” he said. “We now have 35 shift employees and three admin staff. So I’ve seen it come full circle.”
As the area evolves around him, Ellington has never really wanted to be anywhere but home.
Since coming to work full time at Cleveland, it’s never crossed my mind to go anywhere else,” he said. “I’ve never really desired to leave home. Where you start is, most of the time, where your heart’s at, and the biggest thing is I have a desire to retire from there one day.
“You know, they say if you enjoy what you do, you never really work a day in your life. And I am a testament to that for sure.”
He discovered that passion as a teenager with the help of a few friends.
“I really had no desire to be a fireman until I was about 17 years old,” he said. “It hadn’t really crossed my mind. I was just doing things, playing ball, hunting, fishing, things like that, and really got involved in the fire service because of my friends.
“I saw how much fun they were having. I got to hang around the fire station a little bit, and I was like, ‘hey, this might be fun.’ So I decided to try it. And it’s something that stuck with me from day one. I just knew I had to do it.”
Ellington’s department runs youth camps every year to pass along those same opportunities to future generations of firefighters.
“It’s a lot easier when you’re young,” he said of getting into firefighting. “I would say that, if you’re in an area that has volunteers, go and talk to that department. If you’re a young person, there’s a junior program. Get involved as a junior. I’ve not seen any juniors that came in and started the program that didn’t absolutely love the fire service. Some may not choose that career path, but a lot do.”
One example of that is his son, Parker, who’s now serving at the department.
Well, I honestly encouraged him to go somewhere else and work, just because he needed to get out and see how other departments do things,” he said. “But it is a cool thing. And just not him, but other firefighters that have become juniors at 14, moved through the ranks, turned 18 and got certified.
“Parker, you know, he knew from the day that he joined as a junior, he wanted to be a firefighter. So it’s been very rewarding for me to see him do the things that he’s done.”
Ellington’s community engagement goes beyond his duties at the department. As one of the leading drivers behind Celebrate Cleveland, he’s been responsible for the annual Fourth of July and Christmas events in the community.
“For years and years, a group of citizens from Cleveland, led by Miss Cookie Pope, hosted that event from day one. I think it started in 1996, maybe. … The event grew large. And she was ready to step back. Actually, the year I took it over, we weren’t going to have it.
“I saw all the enjoyment that was had by the community and the involvement and everyone coming together to watch fireworks and the parade. And I said, ‘well, we can’t let this die. We’ve got to do something.’
“It’s been very rewarding. … People ask, why do you still do it? And really and truly, it’s for the kids that come out. If you see their faces during the parade, when the fire trucks come through or the horses come through and you know they’re out getting candy and doing things like that and having a good time, that’s what makes it worth it. Fourth of July or the Christmas parade, either one. So that’s why I got involved.”
Ellington’s service goes beyond his department’s borders, too. As head of the Johnston County Fire Protection Service District Commission, he’s part of an effort to modernize and fund departments across the county.
“Helping shape the county’s (firefighting efforts) has been really a project that a lot of our fire chiefs, commissioners and county staff have come together to do,” he said. “It’s been exciting, really. It’s exciting to see all these communities be able to grow — especially the communities that were not as fortunate as others are now being able to do things and bring things up to date. They were providing a great service before, and I commend them for what they were doing. But now they’re being able to move forward and bring it up to another level. And that’s great for their citizens, as it is for Johnson County as a whole.”
No matter the project, Ellington always brings the same energy to making his community a better place to live.
“I started out as a volunteer firefighter at an early age and just developed a passion for doing it,” he said. “And that passion has never really gone away. It’s never been about a job. It’s always been about what I could give back. And I think what I’ve done over the years is giving back, whether it was paid or whether it was a volunteer, I put 100% in it. That’s what it’s still about today. Whether it’s the fire department, community events or what have you.”
