Firefighters mourn loss of former colleague

Page passed away on Monday, Oct. 18 after a long battle with cancer.

“The department is mourning the loss of such a dedicated member of our department,” said interim chief John Skinner. “Mike Page was one of us and will be remembered by many of us.”

Page began his firefighting career as a volunteer with the Barrow County Fire Department in the late 1970s. On June 1, 1988, he became one of the first paid firefighters for the department and was instrumental in establishing County Line Fire Station.

With his house just down the road from the station, Page was often the first to arrive when the volunteers were called to help the citizens of Barrow County. As a volunteer, Page gave a large part of his personal life to the citizens he protected.

Barrow County Emergency Services public information officer Lt. Scott Dakin said Page was always willing to work with the new firefighters and share his wealth of knowledge.

“Mike never stopped until the job was done and was known for being the first to arrive at the station and the last to leave,” Dakin said. “Many recall him as a man with a big heart, and a man that made the world a little better just for having known him. Mike knew his job, his apparatus and his equipment and would work to teach anyone that asked for his help.”

Page retired from Barrow County Emergency Services in 2007. This past May, Page was honored for his 30 years of service at a meeting of the Barrow County Board of Commissioners.

Visitation for Page will be held Oct. 20 from 6-9 p.m. at Smith Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. Page will be laid to rest at Nazareth United Methodist Church.

Personnel with Barrow County Emergency Services as well as other departments in the area will honor Page with a firefighter funeral.

“We will work with his family to honor Mike’s last requests,” Skinner said. “We want to honor him for all he has done for this department and the citizens of Barrow County. Although we know he is not suffering, his loss is still a great one for this department.”