The one word to best describe Joe Golden’s career as a volunteer firefighter would have to be “busy.”

Golden first began serving with the Baileyton VFD in 1988 and acted as chief for 15 years. Sixteen of those years overlapped with his time spent as a member of the Baileyton Town Council. He also served as chief of the Cullman County Association of Volunteer Firefighters for 15 years and as treasurer of the statewide Alabama Association of Volunteer Fire Departments for 12 years. Golden has also been certified as an EMT and is currently a board member of the Lake Orion water system. Golden performed all of these simultaneous duties while remaining a devoted family man to his wife, Brenda, and their two daughters. It wouldn’t be wrong to be intimidated by Golden’s list of responsibilities, but for him it has all been nothing more than giving back what he has been able to to the community he loves. 

Before — and during — his time with the BVFD, Golden had built a career for himself as an accountant for Nicholson File. He worked his way up through the department until being named a controller several years before the factory closed. It wasn’t until a friend asked if Golden if he had ever considered becoming a firefighter that he “went whole hog.”

“I wanted to learn as much about the fire service as I could so I started going to classes at the Alabama State Fire College. I got about six certifications from there to learn the do’s and don’ts with all of the safety and stuff like that,” Golden said. “I just wanted to be a good firefighter.” 

As he began to work his way through the ranks, eventually being named chief, Golden’s accounting experience also played a large role in his ability to serve the department. Because firefighters are more often required to respond quickly to an ongoing situation, it can be difficult to put themselves in a mindset to prepare for ones in the future. 

“My accounting background helped me a lot, because you have to look forward. You have to make plans, based on your finances of where you want to be and how you want to get there,” he said. 

Golden’s financial knowledge also helped him to personally secure more than $1 million in grant funds between the Baileyton and other county fire departments. One grant in particular made it possible for Cullman County to be one of the first countywide volunteer fire associations in Alabama to use digital radio frequencies.

Golden also said one of his skills has always been his ability to communicate democratically. This has been instrumental in his role as a liaison between the town of Baileyton and the Cullman County Commission, which enabled the construction of BVFD’s current building and the CCAVFD training center in Vinemont during his tenure. 

The accomplishments Golden has received might be extensive, but for him it has been the relationships he has built that continue to stick out in his memory. While he has had his fair share of tough calls — such as narrowly saving a high school friend from succumbing to heart attack or rescuing a child from drowning — but he said if there is one thing he has observed over the years, it’s that “you don’t talk about the bad ones.” He is, however, more than willing to discuss some of the more humorous encounters he has had. Such as the time he helped rescue an individual who “was pinned underneath a car.” 

“This passerby had called about somebody’s feet sticking out from under a car they were working on saying ‘The car’s fell on him.’ So we get out there and start shaking his feet and calling out to him to ask if he’s okay before he said ‘Yea, I’m just drunk.'”

There was another instance when Golden ventured out during a tornado after a woman’s medical alert pendant had been activated. A sign on the front door of the residence alerted him that the woman was in her backyard storm shelter. With his medical gear in tow, Golden rushed around the house prepared to administer treatment. 

“There’s these two old ladies sitting on the bench with the storm pit door open, eating hamburgers from McDonald’s,” he said. 

After ensuring the women were not in need of treatment, Golden said he determined the pendant must have been activated by mistake. He remembers hearing “Well, at least we know that thing works,” as he walked back to his truck.

Golden stepped away from his leadership roles several years ago due to health concerns. He said after being as busy as he has been for the past several decades, it can be difficult to slow down. “It’s not easy going from the person who is helping others to being on the other side of that,” he said. 

However, he remains as “active as he can be” with the BVFD. He continues using his accounting experience to keep the books in order and serves as department’s secretary. He also acts as a mentor for new recruits joining the department. He said he tells each of them to always make their families and careers the top priority, but apart from that it’s their service that should be the most important responsibility. He’s also learning to take his own advice. 

“I’m just enjoying the time I get to spend with my grandkids and the extra time I get to spend with my wife now,” he said.