Kurt Hawkins has been named Blackshear Fire Department Firefighter of the Year for 2025.
Hawkins was selected for special recognition due to his outstanding commitment to the department, dedication to the community and steadfast support of fellow department members.
“Anytime volunteers are needed—whether for community events, training activities, or extra duty—Kurt is always one of the first to step forward,” says Blackshear Fire Chief Bucky Goble. “He takes full advantage of every training opportunity, consistently working to expand his knowledge and improve his skills as a firefighter.”
Hawkins’ primary trade is in IT, working for PrimeSouth Bank. Working as a volunteer firefighter is his way of giving back. Hawkins had been thinking about something he could do to help others when his cousin, Wesley Howard or Bearville Fire Station, mentioned volunteering as a firefighter.
“I had been wanting to help out the community in some way, so I tried it out,” says Hawkins.
Hawkins began volunteering with the Pierce County Fire Department in 2019. A year later, Goble asked him to join up with the city fire department. Hawkins lived inside the city limits not far from station number 2, so he suited up and ready to roll not long after a call comes in.
Working with the Blackshear Fire Department ever since, Hawkins has steadily improved his skillset and usefulness to the department. Hawkins is a Georgia state certified Firefighter 1 and a licensed EMT. “Once I was in it for a bit, I realized I need to know more and do more,” Hawkins says. “I didn’t want to just be standing around so I needed more knowledge about first response.”
When asked about his reaction to being picked as Firefighter of the Year, Hawkins says he was surprised. “I was not looking for it. I was honored, but it really takes a team and I couldn’t do it without the other guys,” says Hawkins.
Hawkins has been a valued member of the department for five years. In that time he has seen fires big and small, saying one that happened about a month ago was as bad as any he has seen. Asked if he is ever afraid when going into a burning building, Hawkins says, “You’re always scared by what is happening. I’ve seen a few things, even on EMS calls, you just want to turn around and walk out, but you have to jump in and do it no matter what.”
Hawkins says it definitely takes a calling to be a firefighter and thanks Christy Marr Hawkins, his wife of 17 years, for proudly supporting that calling. “It takes a lot,” says Hawkins. “And I give it all I can.”
