Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 12. 2015 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3A
Steve Roper talks firefighting, family and grilling
Jasper Fire Chief Steve Roper has learned that life is bet
ter when you ’re happy. Roper is married to Katrena and has
three children, Mindy, Macey and Brandon.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Steve Roper is the City of Jasper
Fire Chief. He has worked at the
city’s fire department for over
three decades.
What was the most dangerous
fire you've worked in your 31
years with the Jasper Fire De
partment?
There are actually two that come
to mind. The Farmers Co-Op on
South Main Street in the 80s be
cause of all the flammable and
explosive materials stored inside,
and the Jasper United Methodist
Church on West Church Street in
the 90s because of the large vol
ume of fire and threat of col
lapse.
What do you wish the general
public knew about firefight
ing?
All of the hard work, training,
and sacrifice that goes into it on
the backside that no one sees.
People tend to think that fire
fighters lounge around eating &
sleeping while waiting for the
call to come in. That's simply not
the case.
What's your favorite movie?
What's your favorite movie
about firefighting?
Star Wars all the way. I'm a sci
ence fiction fan. My favorite fire
fighting movie would be Back-
draft. Terrible special effects but
a great story.
What accomplishment are you
most proud of in your life?
I take great pride in being the
city of Jasper's Fire Chief but I'd
have to say my grandchildren are
at the top of the list.
What do you like to do when
you're not working?
Spending as much time as possi
ble with family and friends on
The Hill (the nickname for ours
and the neighbors' house). That
and there has to be something in
the smoker or on the grill.
You're a jovial guy. How do
you keep such a positive atti
tude?
I figured out a long time ago that
life was better when you're
happy rather than sad. And living
the public safety lifestyle that I
have for a very long time I also
learned that you have to leave
work at work. If you carry it
around with you it will destroy
you emotionally.
If you could be a contestant on
any game show from any time
period, which would it be and
why?
The Price is Right. I remember
as a small child watching it with
my grandmother and thinking
how cool it would be to get up
there and "act the fool" like those
people did.
What were you like in school?
This one is too easy - class
clown. That started somewhere
around day two of kindergarten
and it's still going on today.
Who do you look up to?
I grew up idolizing my grandfa
ther. He taught me how to be a
man and I still use those lessons
today and I'm passing them on to
my grandson. With my mom and
dad both gone, my uncles are all
I have left of the old family. I
look up to them because they
keep the old school family values
strong.
If you were on death row what
would your last meal be and
why?
This one is easy too. A huge rib-
eye cooked "medium raw,"
straight off the charcoal on The
Hill. It would remind me of the
happiest place on earth.
Between the Bookends By Emma Ingle, Pickens Co. Librarian
AbL'j
AStAK
Fine Chinese, Thai,
Japanese Restaurant
Sushi • Sake
Beer • Wine
744 Noah Dr.
Jasper, GA
Mountain Highland
Tel: 706-253-1155
Fax: 706-253-1105
Home Mortgage Solutions
That Fit Your Wallet
The following loan programs are available:
Conventional Loans
USDA Loans
FHA and VA Loans
Jumbo Loans
Reverse Mortgages
Donna Johnson
NMLS# 523187
djohnson@frontlinecapitalmortgage.com
Jim Fowler
NMLS# 507839
jfowler@frontlinecapitalmortgage.com
FCM
FRONTLINE CAPITAL MORTGAGE
Georgia Residential Mortgage License # 43396
Free AARP Tax-
Aide Schedule
Thursdays at the Pickens
County Library from 9:30 a.m.-
1:30 p.m., certified AARP Tax-
Aid volunteers will help prepare
federal tax returns to taxpayers
with low and moderate income,
with special attention to those 60
and over. For more information
please contact the Pickens
County Library at 706-692-5411.
Scheduled dates for February:
12 th, 19th and 26th.
Introduction to the
Library's Catalog
Do you want to look for
books using the library’s online
card catalog but you’re not sure
how to do it? Sign up for this
class, Monday, February 16, at
10 a.m. to learn how! This class
will show you how to search for
materials throughout the library
system and place items on hold.
Before attending, please make
sure that your library card is up-
to-date and that you have a li
brary PIN number. Registration
is required and has opened.
READing Paws
with Abby
Abby, the library’s Reading
Paws dog, helps children gain
confidence as she listens pa
tiently while children read to her.
If you would like for your child
to have this experience, all that
you need to do is sign up for
Monday, February 16, or for
Monday, February the 23, for a
visit with Abby at 3:30 p.m.
Abby is a friendly, furry and non-
judgmental listener who loves to
have children read their favorite
book to her. A session is 10-15
minutes for ages 6 and up. Reg
istration for this visit with Abby
has begun. For more information
please contact the Pickens
Coimty Library at 706-692-5411.
Library Yarners
Come join the weekly cro
chet/knitting/yarn-enthusiast
meetings, Tuesday, February 17,
at 10 a.m. and/or 5 p.m. The Li
brary Yarners is led by a former
library staff-member (you may
attend either or both meetings).
All fiber-artists are welcome (re
gardless of skill level)!
Free Driver
Training/Online
How would you like to prac
tice for your Georgia driver’s li
cense exam for free! Go to the
sequoyahregionallibrary.org
website. Once on the website,
scroll down the page and click on
Free Driving Exam. It is avail-
Be alert for life insurance scam calls
Insurance Commissioner
Ralph Hudgens issued a warning
to Georgians to be on alert for
telephone calls from individuals
claiming to have life insurance
proceeds available to them for a
fee. An initial investigation by
Hudgens’ Fraud Unit has deter
mined that the calls are fraudu
lent and part of a scam to
separate you from your hard
earned money.
“My office has received com
plaints from consumers who
were scammed out of thousands
of dollars by individuals claim
ing to be insurance company rep
resentatives,” Hudgens said.
“These low-life scammers are
telling consumers that their de
ceased relative had life insurance
that lapsed, but if an immediate
payment is made to reinstate the
policy, they will become the ben
eficiary.”
Here is how it works:
• The scammer instructs you
to submit a payment in the form
of pre-paid money cards to im
mediately reinstate the policy.
• The scammer explains that
the transaction will need to be
completed within a few hours
and that they will call you back
at a specific time. You are then
told to go to a CVS or Rite Aid
pharmacy and pick up various
numbers of Green Dot’s Money-
Pak cards and upload different
amounts of money onto each
card.
• The scammer then calls you
back at the designated time and
instructs you to scratch the back
of the MoneyPak cards and read
to them the concealed 14-digit
serial numbers.
• By reading the concealed
number to the scammer, it allows
them to transfer the money im
mediately to their account with
out having the actual cards.
Commissioner Hudgens rec
ommends that if you receive a
call of this nature to hang up im
mediately and contact his Con
sumer Services Division at
800-656-2298.
10i.Ci,.U2,
AiVESRIB
Bring In This Ad $ Get
HFOff
Your Order
(Not Valid With Other Specials)
TENDERS • WINGS • SALADS
CATERING • DINE IN OR TAKE OUT
706-635-RIBS (7427)
FAX 706-635-7429
289 Highland Crossing • East Ellijay, GA 30540
Across from Walmart
able online 24/7, any time you
need it? It will help give you the
necessary practice skills to take
the DDS Permit Test because the
practice test contains 40 ques
tions that are very similar and
often identical to the real DDS
test.
3850 Camp Road, Ste A
Jasper, GA 30143
678-454-5600
www.frontlinecapitalmortgage.com
EQUAL HOUSING
OPPORTUNITY
Heart disease is the number one killer of women. But 80% of heart events can be prevented.
Go beyond a normal checkup by consulting a Piedmont physician about risk factors and
preventative measures you can take.
Visit piedmont.org/getscreened or call 404.620.3005 to learn more.
American
■ ■ Heart
‘
Association®
h&i ["j Piedmont
HEART
© 2015 Piedmont Healthcare. TM Go Red trademark of AHA, Red Dress trademark of DHHS.
Piedmont Heart Institute is a proud sponsor of the Atlanta Go Red for Women campaign.