GREER, S.C. (WSPA) – It’s not a surprise to see Colby Means driving a Greer Fire Department vehicle.
“I was actually born into it. I knew from birth pretty much,” says Means. “I’ve always been around fire trucks. I knew that was going to be my path.”
Means has been hanging around fire stations since he was 5-years-old. His father was a firefighter in North Spartanburg for more than three decades.
“I remember, as a kid, they would go to the Jaycees Parade in Spartanburg. They would do the Santa Claus ride through the neighborhoods,” he said. “Any opportunity that I had to get on a fire truck – even for something as simple as that – I was involved. I wanted to be there. I wanted to be on the fire truck, blowing all the horns.”
He didn’t waste any time becoming a firefighter. Means was on paid duty three days after graduating from Dorman High School in 2006. He has been a trained EMT for more than a decade. He is also a part-time police officer.
When he starts a 24-hour shift, he said he has one thing on his mind.
“[We’re] going to somebody’s last resort, call for help. You’re hoping that, in the back of your mind, you’re hoping, praying you can bring your best every day,” he said.
He said his father retired in 2019. Will there be a third generation of firefighters for this family? Colby said his sons – ages 5 and 2 – already love to hang around the fire station.
