Feature Story and Photos by Larry H. Oskin
Groveland celebrated the successful reign of Fire Chief Willie Morgan, who served 44 years as its respected Fire Chief. With a special retirement ceremony held during the Groveland Founder’s Day event, Willi Morgan’s hard work, leadership, legacy, and gifts to the city were honored. He was presented with a special honor plaque, a fireman’s bugle trophy, his helmet, and the firehouse flag that he took down during his last day of work at the fire department.
Fire Chief Willie Morgan: Morgan was born in North Carolina, and he grew up in Groveland. Morgan has been the inspired leader of the Groveland Fire Department since he was a volunteer for the Groveland Fire Department. While determining his career and future, he was persuaded by a high school friend to take a course in firefighting and to join the tiny all-volunteer Groveland Fire Department.
In 1975 the Groveland Volunteer Fire Department was being rejuvenated. Morgan took a 30-hour volunteer firefighter class that gave him and 15 other guys that completed it a certificate that said they were a qualified firefighter with firefighter 1. Then, Fire Chief Buck Tomlinson got a job at Cape Canaveral. Council then appointed Morgan, who lived in the city as fire chief. In 1976, Morgan became the city’s first official Fire Chief when it converted to a full-time paid firefighting force.
He oversaw the department grow from a handful of volunteers with a small truck to nearly two dozen career firefighters with modern firefighting engines in one of the fastest-growing cities here in Central Florida. Morgan also served as Interim City Manager in 2013 and was a City Council member before he became a professional firefighter.
Over the years, Morgan remembers his share of devastating structure fires, horrible accidents, and other tragic catastrophic fire events. He was also project manager of the city’s newly opened 33,000-square-foot, $13 million Public Safety Complex on Highway 50, with the new home of their Fire Department. Now retiring to a small town in Southside, AL, Groveland Fire Chief Willie Morgan and his wife Donna will learn to enjoy life alongside the Coosa River. Together, they are parents of three adult children and four grandchildren.
New Groveland Fire Chief: Kevin Carroll has taken over the role of Groveland Fire Chief. He began his extensive fire service career in Pasco County, where he served as a Firefighter Paramedic. He then joined the Hernando County Fire Rescue where he grew through the ranks as Fire Captain, Battalion Chief, Assistant Chief, and most recently, Deputy Fire Chief, managing 272 employees, and 14 fire stations.
Chief Carroll holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Administration from Columbia Southern University, as well as degrees in Fire Science and Emergency Medical Services. Among his certifications are Florida State Certified Fire Safety Inspector, Florida State Fire Instructor, Florida State Certified Hazardous Materials and Medical Technician and Florida State Certified Paramedic.
