Fire Engineer DeShawn Stallworth

DeShawn Stallworth first started as a volunteer firefighter after dropping out of college. Now, he’s a fire engineer who’s responsible for driving the truck and ensuring there’s adequate water pressure when on scene.

“I went to the military academy for a year and didn’t have the grades to keep my scholarship. I unfortunately had to leave,” he said. “Then I got on to a local volunteer department where I was at and I realized that’s what I wanted to do. Instead of paying $5,000 to go to an academy, working, going three nights a week and on weekends, my parents were like, ‘Why don’t you join the Reserves? Be a firefighter and get paid.’”

He joined the Reserves when he was 19. DeShawn first came to the Fulton Fire Department in 2012. Since then, he’s left and returned because he missed the family-mentality at the department. For instance, other members of the crew would help his wife with housework when he got called out for the Reserves.

DeShawn said his favorite part of the job is helping the community.

“When you call 911, it’s not necessarily because you’re having a good day. You don’t call just because you want to see a firefighter,” he said. “Normally, you call us because you’re having a pretty bad day. For us to go help and to help mitigate that and make it better or try and make it better, makes all the difference.”

Outside of fire service, DeShawn has been with his wife for 10 years. They have two kids, Bo and Cami. Bo’s nickname comes from the term Rainbow Baby, which refers to a child born after a couple struggled with miscarriages. Cami is named after the teacher who brought DeShawn and his wife together.

“It just makes it more meaningful because we have struggled to have kids, so you want to make sure that their name means something,” he said.

DeShawn is also a DJ and drummer. He and a friend own their own entertainment company called One Life Entertainment. The two started organizing an annual Thanksgiving dinner two years ago focused on helping the community.

“Every year we’ve fed over 300 people, low-income families, people in need, stuff like that. It’s open to the whole community, but our focus is on those who might not have a Thanksgiving dinner for Thanksgiving,” he said.