By Eason Franklin
The Lowndes Signal

One person you may see when you the Lowndes County Courthouse in Hayneville is Terrell Means. Means has become somewhat of a fixture with his work at the Hayneville Volunteer Fire Department.

The son of Christine Means and Hugh Smith, Means graduated from Calhoun High School and has lived in Hayneville with his family all his life.

Means earned his certification as a nursing assistant at one of the largest nursing facilities in Montgomery, Capitol Nursing Care after graduating from high school.

“I saw that elderly people needed assistance in their day-to-day lives,” said Means. “It encouraged me knowing I could help others by going out of my way.”

Last year, Means joined with the Hayneville Volunteer Fire Department because he “enjoys helping others” and was interested in knowing how to handle an emergency situation, such as a fire.

Means responsibilities in the Hayneville VFD are to fill out and file reports after a fire emergency and communicate with fellow firefighters, keeping them safe from potential hazards during an emergency.

Means has worked alongside the Lowndes County Extension Office to inform residents throughout the county about nutrition, HIV awareness and public speaking, as well as the 4-H Club.

The fifth of eight children, Means said he receives a lot of encouragement from his aunts, uncles, Lowndes County Courthouse staff, workers within the Lowndes County Extension System, as well as a long list of other friends and family who push him to succeed.

When he’s not fighting fires, Means uses his spare time doing the community a service by picking up litter along the sides of roads in Lowndes County and working with the Black Belt community to hold various workshops for children.

Means said his mother is one of the people who has encouraged him throughout his life to follow his dreams.