Kingsland Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Joey Whittenburg. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
The Kingsland Volunteer Fire Department is the thin red line that protects thousands of lakeside residents from disaster, and it wouldn’t be possible without volunteers, like Assistant Fire Chief Joey Whittenburg, who respond to the call of duty day or night.
Whittenburg was voted Favorite First Responder in the 2024 Locals Love Us contest by The Picayune Magazine readers and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune listeners.
“It’s nice to know that people noticed me and appreciate what I do,” he said after receiving news of the honor. “As a first responder and volunteer, if somebody doesn’t appreciate it, that’s fine, too. I get my own enjoyment out of it.”
Whittenburg has been with the department for the past 10 years. He not only fights fires, he fixes the internet at the station when it goes down and has conducted swiftwater rescues during floods.
The Kingsland VFD is almost completely funded through donations and operated by 15 regular volunteers, who drop what they’re doing when an emergency occurs.
“If I were on a job site and the tones drop, I drop what I’m doing, hop in the truck, and head to the scene,” Whittenburg said. “Last night, we were on a structure fire until about eleven-thirty. Whatever the call is, it doesn’t matter if it’s two, three o’clock in the morning, we jump out of bed and hit the ground running.”
He operates his own business, Premier Contracting Services, but treats the role of assistant fire chief as another full-time job.
Small-town Kingsland and its independent-minded community hold a special place in Whittenburg’s heart.
“We’re like a little village,” he said. “Everyone comments that Kingsland is like the Wild West, which it is in some ways, but I like that. We make do with what we have.”
And one of the things Kingsland has is dedicated residents and volunteers like Joey Whittenburg.
