WCS Staff Member Named Hometown Hero

Published October 26, 2016

A WCS employee is being hailed a hometown hero.

This month, WCS Director of Safety and Security Michael Fletcher was presented with the Darrell Waltrip Automotive Hometown Hero award. Fletcher is a decorated US Army Veteran who previously served as a Lieutenant with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department and a paramedic for Williamson Medical Center EMS.

“Fletcher has an extremely rare combination of subject matter knowledge, wisdom and empathy,” said Jason Golden, Deputy Superintendent, Williamson County Schools. “His life experiences in the Army, with law enforcement and as a paramedic have made him particularly well suited to serving our students.”

In 1994, while serving as a paratrooper in the US Army 82nd Airborne Division, an F-16 fighter jet crashed into a plane on the ground, killing 24 soldiers and injuring 130 more. Fletcher sustained third degree burns to much of his body when the jet fuel he didn’t know he had been coated with ignited as he ran toward to the crash to help those involved.

In the years since, Fletcher has partnered with the Franklin Fire Department to educate students about the dangers and consequences of misusing fire and to date, he has educated more than 2,000 students.

Jamie Melton, Fire and Life Safety Educator for the Franklin Fire Department, nominated Fletcher for the award.

“Michael exemplifies how one person can turn tragedy into triumph,” said Melton. “While his injuries were the result of a terrible accident he had no control over, every year thousands of children experience devastating burns while playing with or misusing fire. This is something that Michael wants to do everything in his power to prevent.”

For his part, Fletcher says he is only a small portion of the program designed to educate our youth about the dangers of fire.

“I am honored to be nominated for this award,” shared Fletcher. “The entire Franklin Fire Department deserves recognition for the proactive efforts to keep the citizens of Franklin safe. I have had the privilege to work with these brave men and women for almost two decades.”