Fire
Leadership
Station 75
Memorial
History & Past Chiefs
The Spencer Fire Department (ISO Class 2) provides fire suppression and medical responder services to the Town of Spencer and its citizens. The department is made up of a combination of full-time, part-time, and volunteer firefighters who provide coverage around the clock. The station is staffed 24 hours per day, seven days a week.
If you are interested in becoming a firefighter, learn more on our Join Our Team page or call 704-637-6135. Each firefighter must maintain a certain amount of training hours to keep his or her active status in the department.
Our fire department’s Public Education Program has grown alongside our department. Want a station tour? Need a fire safety or CPR class? Request now, and let’s keep our community safe together. Once completed, please email the form to Fire Chief Lanning.
Our Mission: To provide a reliable, professional, and courteous team that strives to surpass the expectations of the community and our organization. This mission requires our members to be part of a competent, aggressive, all-risk fire department that is focused on “Preserving the Past and Protecting the Future” of those we serve.
Leadership
Station 75
Memorial
History & Past Chiefs
Leadership
704-637-6135 Ext. 40
Email the Fire Chief
Michael Lanning
Fire Chief
Spencer Fire Department’s Fire Chief is Michael Lanning. Chief Lanning began his career with Spencer Fire Department in 2012 as a part-time Engineer. Chief Lanning rose through the ranks to Captain, and then was promoted to Assistant Chief in 2020 and Chief in 2021.
Chief Lanning holds numerous certifications from NC OSFM and NC OEMS, including Firefighter II, Emergency Medical Technician, Driver Operator (ED, Pumps, and Aerials), Fire Officer II, Level II Instructor, Hazardous Materials Technician, Chemistry of Hazardous Materials, numerous Hazardous Materials Specialist certifications, Technical Rescuer, and Chief 101. Chief Lanning also holds several certifications from the National Fire Academy and the US Emergency Management Institute, including the full complement of NIMS, Leadership, and Supervisory courses. Chief Lanning further demonstrated his commitment to bettering himself and his community by being awarded his Advanced Firefighter Certification by the North Carolina State Firefighters Association. In 2022, the UNC School of Government selected him as a Leading for Results LGFCU Fellow. He is also a graduate of the UNCC Fire and Rescue Management Institute.
Chief Lanning served the City of Salisbury and the City of Kannapolis prior to his full-time position with the Town of Spencer. He also currently serves as the Deputy Fire Chief for the Scotch Irish Fire Department, where he has been a member since 2011. He received multiple awards and accolades in his previous roles, from Rookie of the Year to Officer of the Year. He is a member in good standing with the North Carolina State Firefighters Association, the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
Doug Lewis
Deputy Fire Chief
Spencer Fire Department’s Deputy Fire Chief is Doug Lewis. Chief Lewis has been with the department since 2018. He began his career with Spencer Fire Department as a part-time Engineer. Chief Lewis rose through the ranks and became Deputy Chief in 2022.
Chief Lewis also holds numerous certifications to include Firefighter II, EMT-Basic, Driver Operator, Fire Officer II, Fire Instructor I, Technical Rescuer w/VMR, and HAZMAT Operations. Chief Lewis also holds several National Fire Academy and National Incident Management System certifications as well as an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice.
Chief Lewis also serves the China Grove Fire Department as a full-time Engineer where he has been since 2008.
Station 75
The Spencer Fire Department is located at the corner of S. Salisbury Avenue and Third Street. The station, completed in 2002, includes apparatus bays, an office, and training space.
The department operates with a 2008 750-gallon Seagrave Engine, a reserve 1995 E-One 750-gallon Engine, and a 2013 Ford F350 Squad truck. We also have a 2021 and a 2023 Ford F150 utilized for administrative and command vehicles. In addition, we also have a 2022 John Deere Gator. ATV 75 suppresses fires in remote locations and aids in removing patients from our various parks and trails. In 2023, the department answered 1240 calls for service.
Memorial
Justin Monroe
On March 7, 2008 while fighting a 5 alarm fire at Salisbury Millwork, Firefighters Justin Monroe and Vic Isler made the supreme sacrifice and died in the line of duty.
Justin Monroe was a resident of Spencer and a graduate of North Rowan High School. He began his fire service career as a junior firefighter with the Miller’s Ferry Fire Department and had been promoted to Lieutenant. He was actively pursuing his Fire Protection degree while working part-time for Salisbury and Spencer Fire Departments.
Justin was a great person, friend and firefighter and he is deeply missed.
In July of 2008, the Spencer Fire Department dedicated its new Seagrave pumper to Justin.
History & Past Chiefs
In 1901, the Spencer Fire Department was organized with T. Morgan as Chief. It had 22 citizens as volunteer firemen, and its equipment consisted of a wagon loaded with lengths of hose. Horses were drafted when the alarm sounded by having any horse in the vicinity of the fire station hitched up to the hose wagon on the run to the fire. There is no record saying how the firemen got to a fire in the early hours after midnight when no horses were on the streets. The alarm was sounded by calling the power plant of the railroad shops. Whoever was on duty would then send out a series of blasts on a steam whistle, signaling the ward number where the fire was located. Later, a siren was installed at the fire department located at 116 Fourth St.
In the 1970s, all calls went through Salisbury’s Central Fire Department on East Innes Street. The dispatcher on duty would then set off Spencer’s siren. By this time, the firefighters also received the alarm at their home over large base monitors, giving the exact location of the fire. Today, an alarm is received from Rowan Communications via computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and an enhanced 911 system, and the firefighters are notified within seconds over pagers and cell phones of the type of call and its location.
In July of 1993, the Spencer Fire Department combined with the Spencer Police Department to form a First Responder program. The program provides basic life support to area residents until an ambulance arrives. At present, the department is far more modernized, with 22 members. In August of 2002, the department moved into its new station house on the corner of Third Street and Salisbury Avenue. On July 1, 2007, the department became a combination department with 22 volunteers and eight part-time staff. The part-time staff worked from 8 am to 4 pm seven days a week. In 2021, the position of Fire Chief transitioned from a part-time to a salaried full-time position. In May of 2022, three full-time captains were hired to assist in transitioning to a career department. They were accompanied by one part-time employee, working 24-hour shifts. In January 2024, the Board of Alderman unanimously approved adding three full-time engineers and three full-time firefighters. This monumental moment in our organization’s history ensures, for the first time in 123 years, that our citizens are guaranteed a fully staffed fire engine capable of mitigating any emergency they may have.
J. T. Morgan 1901 –
W. H. Burton
B. F. Lee
R. B. Stewart
J. C. Vaughn
T. C. Neill, Sr.
Marvin Rone 1946 – 1964
R. L. Harrison 1964 – 1973
H. W. Everhart 1973 – 1988
W. W. Everhart 1988
J. R. Everhart, Jr. 1988 – 1995
D. A. Lomax 1995 – 1997
J. P. Baker 1998 – 1999
J. R. Everhart, Jr. (Int.) 1999
S. N. Morgan, Jr. 1999 – 2002
J. P. Baker 2002 – 2009
W. S. Baker (Int.) 2009 – 2010
B. G. Grubb 2010 – 2012
J. P. Baker (Int.) 2012 – 2015
B. G. Grubb (Int.) 2016 – 2019
J. D. Carter (Int.) 2019 – 2020
M. T. Lanning (Int.) 2020 – 2021
M. T. Lanning 2021 – Present