A Firefighter With a Heart for His Community

On duty or off, Gwinnett County firefighter Bobby Holton is proud to serve and protect our Dacula community. As a firefighter on duty, Holton responds to emergency calls to protect Dacula out of . As a firefighter off-duty, Holton spends his time teaching the children of our community that underneath all that gear is a good and caring person.

Like many young boys, Holton always dreamed of becoming a firefighter. But, as he grew older, he followed other paths and ended up in landscaping. Then one day the dream of helping others emerged in his life again. Holt remembers the day clearly.

“I will always remember the night I told my wife I wanted to become a firefighter,” Holton recalled. “We were at my daughter’s ballet recital, and I was floored when she said, 'Wow, I think that can work'.”

From that day on, Holton knew it was meant to be. He sent in his application and began the process to fulfill his dreams. This is not an overnight process. There are numerous background checks and even polygraph tests that need to be taken.

“From the time I turned in my application to my first day in class, it was right at three months,” Holton remembered. “It is funny how it happened so fast. It was like it was meant to be.”

After eight months of training, Holton achieved his dream of becoming a firefighter. And now he has been Gwinnett County firefighter for a little over three years. He serves as a Firefighter II and a relief driver. Holton also has his EMT I (intermediate) license, which is a step below paramedic. But, most importantly, he gets to live his dream every day.

“I look forward to going to work,” Holton said. “I am proud to say I am a Gwinnett County firefighter.”

The main reason Holton became a firefighter was to help people.

“I love being given the opportunity to help someone on their worst day,” he explained. “I get the opportunity to be a part of trying to make the situation better.”

When on duty at Station 18, Holton is ready to serve and protect our community by responding quickly to fire calls, medic calls, minor accidents, and serious accidents.

“When calls come in we have to be out the door and at the site within minutes,” Holton said.

But when Holton hangs up his firefighter’s hat, takes off his gear, and goes off-duty, he is still very much a firefighter. Holton says that as a firefighter, the biggest reward is educating little kids and telling them what he does and why he does it. He believes it is important to teach them not to be afraid. So on his days off, Holton often spends his time talking with the children of our community.

“I go to a lot of local schools and do personal public relations on my off days,” Holton said. “I want to get the awareness out there to these little kids that we are here for them, and are good people. We look scary and sound scary when we have all our gear on, but it is just us underneath all the protective gear. I try to be a positive role model that anyone can talk to without being scared and nervous. I love when kids see me in the grocery store and recognize me as a firefighter.”

Holton lives in Dacula with his very supportive wife Lindy, and his four adorable children, 9-year-old Mackenzie, 7-year-old Makayla, 5-year-old Tucker, and 2-month-old Maci. And don’t forget what he called his “second family,” his brave co-firefighters at Station 18. He describes Dacula -- the community he lives and works in -- as very loving and supportive.   

“Dacula is an awesome community,” Holton said. “It has great people. People are always bringing us cookies, sweets and meals to support us. The community loves us and we love them, and being able to be there when they need us. We are happy to be a part of the community.”

It is definitely safe to say that whether at home or at work in Dacula, Holton can best be described as a firefighter with a heart for his community and a real hometown hero.

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