N.C. Firefighter and Dad of 2 Died Trying to Save Lives During Hurricane Helene: 'We Lost a Good Person'

Mar. 15, 2025

Firefighter Tony Garrison.Photo:Forrest Lawn Funeral home

Forrest Lawn Funeral home

A North Carolina community remembered and honored a firefighter who died trying to help rescue people afterHurricane Helenehit.

In a Facebook post earlier this month, theCharlotte Fire Departmentconfirmed the death of Tony Garrison, 51, who served with both the Fairview Volunteer Fire Department and Garren Creek Fire Department, on Friday, Sept. 27.

According to officials, Garrison lost his life when he and his nephew were trying to save 11 people — among them several of Garrison’s family members – trapped in a mudslide when flooding brought on a second mudslide, NBC affiliateWYFFreported.

“That was his passion: to try and help people and, you know, he didn’t mind helping,” said Garren Creek Fire Chief Wade, ABC affiliateWLOSreported. “He also worked for a time in Fairview, and he volunteered his time here with us, and I hate we lost a good person.”

A procession held for fallen firefighter Tony Garrison on Oct. 22, 2024.facebook

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In anobituary, Garrison — who served as battalion chief with the Fairview Volunteer Fire Department and as a volunteer with the Garren Creek Fire Department — was described as someone who “dedicated his life to serving others with bravery, humility, and an unwavering love for his community.”

“Known for his humility and warmth, Tony’s greatest love was the time spent with his family — his loving wife of 28 years, Mary Chantelle Garrison, his daughter Hannah Sherie Garrison, and his son Dylan Chase Garrison, all of Fairview, North Carolina,” the obituary read.

The obituary also noted that in addition to his firefighting duties, Garrison was a member of the Buncombe County Task Force and worked with the U.S. Forest Service.

A procession for fallen firefighter Tony Garrison on Oct. 22, 2024.facebook

A procession was held in honor of Garrison on Tuesday, Oct. 22, in Buscombe County, with about 40 fire trucks, police and emergency service vehicles moving along Charlotte Highway to pay tribute to the fallen firefighter, reported theAsheville Citizen-Times.

“Chief Garrison was a great guy. He was funny. Very outgoing. He would just say stuff that would brighten your day,” Kenneth Letford, deputy fire chief with the Reynolds Fire Department in Asheville, told CBS affiliateWFMY.

“The heroism that Tony Garrison showed on that day was very close to our heart,” Ryan Traina, a deputy incident commander with the New York City Fire Department who took part in the procession, told theCitizen-Times.

A funeral service for Garrison was scheduled to be held on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at Trinity of Fairview in Fletcher, North Carolina, according to the obituary.

“He’d be honored,” Vince Carter, chief of Reynolds Fire Department, told WLOS about the tribute for Garrison. “I’m sure he would make a… few funny little cracks. That’s just the way Tony was or in the way he would say some stuff but he’d be honored… he’d probably say ‘I don’t need all this, I don’t need this.’ "

source: people.com