Ray Melton Retires After 24 Years Of Fire And EMS Service

May 29, 2024

Escambia County Fire Rescue Fire and Life Specialist Ray Melton retired Tuesday after 24 years of fire and EMS service, eight of those years with Escambia County Fire Rescue.

“I’m honored to have served our citizens from Pensacola to Century,” Melton said. “Life safety is and always will be my passion and I will never stop that.”

“To the firefighters I have had the honor to work with, you are my brothers and sisters for life and I’m grateful to all of you,” he said. “From fire, to EMS, to dispatch, keep strong and whatever you face; The mission is above all else I’m so grateful for all of you!”

Melton’s interest in the fire service began when he was five years old when firefighters saved his life after he became sick and stopped breathing. After joining the Army at 17 as a finance specialist, he transferred to a firefighting position when the opportunity became available.

In 2016, Melton discovered his passion for fire prevention, but it came with tragedy. On an early Thursday morning, four children lost their lives in Pensacola after a water heater shorted out, causing a deadly fire. From there, Melton knew he had to do something.

Following the tragedy, Melton has worked to make sure another deadly incident like that would never happen again. While with ECFR, Melton has implemented a number of effective and innovative fire prevention programs, such as the county’s “Ready, Set, Go” wildland-urban interface education initiative, where he partners with local forestry personnel to host educational programs with urban communities that could be affected by wildfires.

Melton started the home fire safety program for ECFR. The program is an opportunity for Escambia County residents to request to have their homes inspected for any potential fire hazards, such as exposed wiring, burned electrical outlets and non-functioning smoke detectors. Since then, Melton has inspected numerous Escambia County homes and identified several potential fire hazards, leading to preventative maintenance in those homes.

Melton was honored as one of the Exemplary Public Servants for 2022 by American City & County, a 113-year old publication for government officials.

Now that he is retired, Melton plans to move to Memphis, Tennessee soon.

“I am certainly going to miss my job of bringing fire safety home to our citizens on a personal level,” he said.

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

3 Responses to “Ray Melton Retires After 24 Years Of Fire And EMS Service”

  1. Shift Change on May 30th, 2024 12:58 am

    Out with the old…. In with the new!!

    Congrats

  2. A.J. on May 29th, 2024 3:28 pm

    Godspeed Ray. Thanks for your service. You will be missed.

  3. Not You on May 29th, 2024 9:32 am

    Thank you for your service. God bless.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News