A life of service: Graham remembers Fire Chief Dennie Covey

The community and members of Graham Fire Rescue lined the streets Sunday to honor former fire chief Dennie Covey who passed away Friday, Jan. 3, closing out a lifetime of service.

It was in 1986 that Covey got his start at the Graham department volunteering and in 1993 was hired full time. Bill Shaklin, who was the fire chief at the time, told Covey he had the makings of a good chief.

“I finally applied for the position, and our city manager (Larry Fields) decided that I would be a good choice. I’ve been in this position ever since,” Covey said in a December 2014 interview.

Covey was hired as chief in 2007 and in 2014 said he loved the profession and getting his hands dirty to help his fellow firefighters. Keeping them safe was a philosophy Covey stood by.

“A lot of fire departments have this saying: ‘We will risk a lot to save a lot, but we will risk very little to save a little,’” Covey said. “What that means is we will risk ourselves in order to save a life, but when a house is just burning with contents, we know their stuff is dear to the people but, if it’s too bad, our firefighters will not go in and endanger their lives for (the) contents.”

Current Chief Jim Don Laurent said Covey hired many of the firefighters that still work at the department, including himself and Assistant Chief David Aleshire. He said Covey was always an understanding person.

“He was a very loving, caring person. ...He didn’t let things get under his skin. He kind of just took what was given and made it better. That’s the kind of guy he was,” Laurent said. “Something about him that I always thought was (special was) he was just really kind when you talked to him. He was positive, and that was always nice.”

Fire Captain Cole Epperson was hired by Covey in 2007 and worked with him until he retired at the end of May 2015.

“He was a good guy (and a) great leader. He was fun. If you were willing to play a joke on him he was going to get you back even better,” Epperson said. “He was a good person (and) a good person to have in your corner.”

Alongside Covey, former fire captain Greg Speck started volunteering with the department in 1993 and then went full time in 2000 up until Covey retired. Speck served a combined 21 years with Covey.

“He was my first partner in the fire station, and we were together for over three years until I got my own crew and everything, and he mentored me all through that time (through the) good and bad,” Speck said. “I gave him some gray hairs.”

Speck said Covey’s family was the most important thing to him. Both that and community service were his driving forces in life. 

When the Possum Kingdom Complex Fire started in 2011 the former captain said Covey had to make hard decisions.

“Our biggest concern (was) for the community of Graham when the PK Complex Fire was going real hard. Dennie and I went to the south end of town, the way the fire was coming, and it broke his heart that we had to pick and choose what houses we could defend and what houses we couldn’t. ...That was hard on him because he felt like he was letting the community down,” Speck said.

For Covey, he provided service to the community in multiple ways. The former captain said when the department held Halloween that Covey always enjoyed when the children attended.

“He always enjoyed the kids part of it. We used to move all the trucks out, and we’d put up walls back there and give fire awareness classes. The kids would come down here, all the firefighters get dressed up in uniforms, it was unreal. The kids would just sit here and be amazed,” Speck said. “It was about the community, and that’s what a fireman does.”

The funeral for Covey will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8 at Oak Street Baptist Church in Graham. The viewing will be from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7 at Morrison Funeral Home in Graham.