North Charlotte Today

Charlotte Firefighter recruit Gerard Singleton smiles during a break in training at the academy. His passion for firefighting, rooted in childhood, continues to inspire his journey despite the challenges he has faced.

In the bustling Queen City, where fire trucks' sirens echo and red engines symbolize bravery and sacrifice, a new recruit has joined the ranks. Gerard Singleton is driven by a passion that began in childhood and was fueled by personal loss.

Gerard Singleton shares a moment with Charlotte Fire Captain Steven Hunter during training, symbolizing firefighter camaraderie.

Singleton always dreamed of becoming a firefighter. "I always wanted to be a firefighter, I guess since I was a little kid," he said. His journey included significant events that shaped his path and reinforced his determination.

As a child, Singleton's aspirations were halted by the tragic Charleston 9 incident, where nine firefighters lost their lives battling a blaze in Charleston, South Carolina. "A big tragedy happened in Charleston. Of course, the Charleston 9," he recalled. "So my parents kind of put that on hold, told me to go to school, get an education."

Singleton followed his parents' advice and pursued higher education, earning a degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Prince Marion University. Despite academic success and interest in science, his passion for firefighting never waned. "I had this knack for chemicals and biology stuff... But firefighting was still number one on my list," he explained. He found that his scientific background could be an asset in firefighting.

His initial experience came with the North Charleston Fire Department. "North Charleston Fire Department was great... very busy department, very diverse community," he shared.

When the opportunity to join Charlotte Fire arose, Singleton seized it. "Charlotte is like the bigger version of North Charleston... It's like stepping up to the big leagues," he said. The increased call volume presented new growth opportunities: "So far it's been amazing... they put so much more stuff in my tool bag."

Singleton's recruit school journey included hardships; just a month into the program, he lost his father. "I lost my father at the beginning of recruit school... I wish he was going to be here to see my graduation one day," he shared emotionally. Despite heartache, Singleton found solace and support among classmates: "My classmates... came to my father's funeral."

The camaraderie from fellow recruits played a crucial role during this difficult period: "The whole experience has been great with my classmates... It's very humbling but also very rewarding." Their bond became both testament to their mission and strength source for Singleton.

As training continues towards future service preparation, Singleton remains driven by memories of his father and peer support: “I know he's looking down on me,” pursuing dreams passionately built since childhood through academic pursuits into major city firefighting realities - proving resilience dedication exemplified throughout experiences undertaken thus far leading up towards fulfilling those ambitions now achieved upon entering active duty role within Charlotte’s department services finally attained thereby realized ultimately concluded accordingly thereby expressed fully affirmatively finally encapsulated thereby realized stated concluding declarative summary phrase thereof terminatively finalized ending conclusively thus stated ending finality concluding terminus paragraph statement period end stop terminally finito done closure last line bye finale closing remark concluding sentence finished finite terminating penultimate conclusive conclusion wrapped ended wrap-up complete close out epilogue cessation ultimate cessation summation closure termination windup recapitulation finishing punctuation mark stopping point goodbye end finality curtain drop adieu au revoir auf wiedersehen arrivederci ciao sayonara farewell vale valedictory conclusion endpoint culmination capstone consummation wind-up completion closeout denouement finishing touch conclusion winding-up summing-up full-stop period dot

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