Firefighter
The McLean Volunteer Fire Department handles about 180 fires a year either in the City of McLean or in Gray County outside the McLean City Limits. None of its 31 members receive a salary. All are volunteers.
The Secretary-Treasurer for the Department handles duties such as making out reports to the City of McLean and Gray County for each fire, keeping up with fuel receipts and handling filing duties. When a firefighter is injured, she coordinates with the City Manager to make sure their medical bills are taken care of.
In McLean the Secretary-Treasurer has to step up when the Chief is unavailable and take the responsibility for directing firefighter activities.
According to Fire Chief Derek Jones, the 2024 Firefighter of the Year not only assists with the paperwork associated with a fire, “She has great courage when it comes to firefighting. Again and again she has put her life on the line to keep our community safe during a fire.”
“During the recent Smokehouse Wildfires, she drove a five-ton truck and was instrumental in keeping the fire from spreading. In another fire we were fighting triple digit heat which caused two of our firefighters to be transported to a hospital. She fought the fire, got them to the hospital, and contained the fire,” Jones said.
“In a fire which caused over a million dollars in damages and was burning a great deal of hay, she kept it from spreading into the shelter belts or wind breaks and faced the fire head on,” Jones continued.
“In voting for this award, the members of the McLean Volunteer Fire Department realized that the 2024 Firefighter of the Year has gone above and beyond the call of duty time after time not only to do her job, but also to provide exemplary leadership in the service to our community,” Jones concluded.
The mother of four is employed full-time by Wal-Mart and is the daughter of John and Rita Raines of Pampa.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the 2024 Firefighter of the Year, Amber Raines!
Law Enforcement Officer
The 2024 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year began her career in law enforcement with the Gray County Sheriff’s Office in 2015 as a jailer. Because of her hard work, she earned promotions to sergeant and lieutenant before becoming the Jail Administrator for the Gray County Sheriff’s Office in 2020.
Her duties as Jail Administrator include not only supervising the jail staff’s 22 members, but also the 78 inmates that are included in the jail’s present population. She also ensures that the Gray County Jail keeps up with all of the required regulations for jail standards. Before 2020, the Gray County Jail had failed the Jail Standards Audit more than once. Our Law Enforcement Officer of the Year reversed that trend. The Gray County Jail has been in compliance and has passed all audits since she became the Jail Administrator.
Gray County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant, Colby Brown, reports that the 2024 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year is a “true inspiration” and a “true leader” who “leads by example.” An example of her service and dedication came this year when she even personally assisted with repainting of the Gray County Jail. In addition, earlier this year she worked nights and weekends to assist the Gray County Sheriff’s Office with shift coverages helping alleviate officer shortage within the Office.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the 2024 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, Gracie Skinner!
