Janet Curtis Lewis '62

Janet Curtis Lewis is a unique individual with unique interests. Because her husband was a plumbing contractor, she decided to pursue the same occupation and became one of four women in South Carolina with a Master Plumber's License. Together this couple formed their own company until her husband had an opportunity to join the Surfside Beach, SC, Fire Department. Jan joined at the same time and went through many hours of training. Together they would ride their red 2003 Harley Fire Bike when responding to fire calls.

Jan was a firefighter for 25 years. When she joined the Surfside Beach Fire Department, less than 1% of the firefighters in the nation were women so it always motivated her to work a little harder. Wearing full fire gear, this 124 pound woman weighed 206 pounds and went into burning buildings. To keep in shape, she lifted weights and ran a mile and a half in under 20 minutes, though she would admit it became more difficult as she got older. To hone her skills, Jan was enrolled in programs and received certification at Horry/Georgetown Technical College, the South Carolina Fire Academy and the National Fire Academy.

Being a firefighter was one of the highlights of her life. She worked medical calls, car wrecks, and of course fires. She knew what it was like to be scared and had a few close calls that gave her sleepless nights. She experienced things that she never thought she would, but the camaraderie and closeness of the brotherhood of firefighters helped her immensely. Jan served on the Color Guard and Honor Guard, and she also worked with families of firefighters who died. She would often be found at the hospital when something went wrong. She served as Crew Chief for a number of years but about 5 years ago had to give it up since she also worked a regular job at town hall. However, as crew chief, she was responsible for taking a group of usually 4-6 guys into the door of a burning building first, followed closely by a Rapid Intervention Team.

Janet recently retired from her regular job as Executive Assistant to the Town Manager in Surfside Beach after 21 years. During her tenure, she was involved in storm water and street paving projects as well as beach renourishment. She also served as the hurricane specialist for the town and has been director of the public hurricane expo which won a national award at the National Hurricane Conference. The latter position allowed her to work with people at the hurricane center, Weather Channel and numerous meteorologists.

This 67 year old still fights the occasional fire, but her main focus these days is as a consultant in Emergency Management. Fighting the big fires has taken its toll in that it's a demanding job which requires physical, mental and emotional toughness. Jan has proven she possessed these qualities over the course of her firefighting career.

Aside from firefighting and emergency management, Jan has coordinated the town's Christmas parade, the Mayor's Reception, and the annual Tree Lighting Service. Jan has made numerous presentations to businesses, Rotary Club, Kiwanis, church groups, and to those ages 3 and up on both fire safety and hurricane planning and mitigation. She was selected as Firefighter of the Year in 1988 and 1990.

Despite this lifetime of giving to her community, Jan and her husband, Mike, raised four children, have 8 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.


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