Deep in Madison County, just brushing the Tennessee state line is the Laurel Community. To get there, you have to drive a road that follows the river, full of twists and turns, but the vista makes one realize why Madison County is called the Jewel of the Blue Ridge.
Nestled in the valley is the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department where Madison High Student Scott Hensley felt the calling to serve his community. “I’ve been a volunteer in the fire department for almost two years. My dad was a volunteer firefighter and I thought it was a great way to give back to my community. I was inspired to pick up where he left off,” Hensley said.
When Hensley was 4, his parents were told he had autism. The diagnosis doesn’t stand in the way of his goals. Now 18 and poised to graduate from high school in June, he already earned his Basic Emergency Medical Science Certification with plans to earn an associate degree in Fire Protection Technology.
The fire department sponsored Hensley to take the EMS classes since many fire departments require their employees to have the certification. “I was able to pass everything. My instructor was a great teacher. He was someone I could relate to 100 percent.”
Hensley recalled the moment he wanted to start medical training. “I had been on the fire department for half a year,” he said. “We got called out for a wreck and there was a 6-year-old boy who didn’t make it. I knew I couldn’t stand there. I had to do something.”
Hensley wants to have a career in firefighting no matter where life takes him. “Sometimes it gets rough with the things you see and experience. I love what I do. No matter where I live ,I am going to find a small fire department like this to work at until I die.”