Perry first responders kick off ‘A Cup of History’ series

Perry residents got an opportunity to learn about the history of fire fighting on Carroll Street and policing in the community Thursday afternoon at The Coffee Cup on Carroll Street.

As part of the restaurant’s “A Cup of History” series, Thursday’s event was a tribute to first responders.

Owners Gary and Charlene Moulliet have been doing the event for a year and a half now. Charlene said they just started back up after taking a break in the summer. She said every second Thursday of the month, they will have an event scheduled from 3 to 4 p.m.

Charlene said this started up because they wanted to do something for the community by providing a history lesson each month that pertains to Carroll Street or Perry. So, they contacted Ellie Loudermilk, president of the Perry Area Historical Society.

Deputy Fire Chief David Stanton and Police Chief Steve Lynn spoke Thursday.

Stanton said the Perry Fire Department was founded in 1910. They currently have two fire stations and a total of 41 firefighters.

He said the first fire in the city was back in February 1992 at the Daisy Patch Florist (was located next to the current A Couple Of Jerks Soda Fountain Shop), which was an arson fire to cover up a burglary. The second fire was in 1994 or 1995 at The Cisco Cowboy Café (was located where The Coffee Cup currently is), which was also an arson fire. The third fire was at Collins Upholstery (now an empty lot), which was determined to be an electrical fire. The downtown fire, where the park is located now on Carroll Street, was in 2007, which was caused by a lightning strike.

Lynn said the Perry Police Department is a full-service department. They have 39 full-time officers, including himself, and currently four part-time officers. He said officers are all state certified and trained. The department also has five K9s (one trained in bomb detection and four in drugs).

The department is the only state certified agency in Middle Georgia. Lynn said officers are required to wear soft body armor. He also explained the different weapons that an officer carries, such as a firearm, collapsible baton, OC pepper spray and a taser. He said last year, they answered 32,500 calls. He noted that they do a lot of public service calls. In the last three years, they have seen a reduction in part-one crimes in Perry.

Although Wayne Chapman and Terre Walker are natives of Perry, they did learn something new by attending the event. Chapman said he didn’t know about the police K9s or the new fire station. Walker said she was fascinated by the police K9s. She commended the city for getting the ISO rating down and said Perry’s police and fire departments are top-notch.

Charlene said for the month of October, they will have a cemetery tour; November will be dedicated to local sports from the past; and for December, the focus will be on Pearl Harbor.

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