Hello, my name is Michael Hayes and I appreciate the opportunity to introduce myself.
I started reading water meters with the City of Raleigh in February of 1990. My wife suggested I look into the fire department so one evening I visited Raleigh Fire Station 1. I saw large pots full of food on the stove, watched the crowd play volleyball and listened as they recounted fire calls. I was hooked!! The adrenaline rush of emergency calls and service to others was right up my alley (as a kid I wanted to be a stuntman), I love to eat and hate to loose.
I retired from the fire department August 1, 2019 with over 29 years of service to the City of Raleigh. Like you, as a member of the public safety community, I’ve witnessed more than my share of tragedies and narrowly avoided a few of my own making. Many you just never forget.
I’ve weathered a divorce which ultimately brought me closer to my three children. And I’ve worked through feelings of guilt over the suicide of a close cousin.
I’ve been a member of the peer support team for a couple of years now and understand the value of having someone to talk to who “gets it”. I am proud of the service to our brothers and sisters this team provides and look forward to serving in retirement.
I enjoy snow skiing, water skiing, camping, singing (though I am terrible at it), traveling, political and religious conversations, hunting and copious amounts of time with family and friends (this part sounds like a dating site entry 🙂 but if it helps you find a connection and reach out then cool).
