BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. — Emergency responders in two states are mourning the loss of a man who dedicated his life to helping others to the very last.
The DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department announced on Monday that its former deputy chief of operations, who had served the community there for 25 years, had died.
Now, social media remembers Deputy Bill Smith as a hero. He spent his life serving citizens, all the way to his death Sunday, while trying to save a swimmer along the Alabama Coast.
DeKalb Fire Chief Darnell Fullum said that Smith had retired from the department in 2011. But it wasn't long before he joined an Alabama sheriff's office to continue servicing the public.
The sheriff of Baldwin County, Alabama confirmed that Smith had died on Sunday while attempting to rescue a swimmer along the Gulf Coast. Another deputy was also hospitalized during the rescue attempts but is expected to be OK. A total of three swimmers survived with what authorities said were non-life-threatening injuries from the ordeal.
Smith was also chief of the Weaver Fire Department from 1990 until 2007, where he became a mentor and father-like figure for many men like James Mardant.
"He put everyone else before himself, especially if it would mean saving a life," said Mardant, who currently works as a firefighter for Magnolia Fire, and met Smith about 25 years ago. "That is the most heroic thing I would ever know."
Mardant says the last time he spoke to Smith was September 2020 but no matter the distance or the communication, Smith was always a father figure to him.
"I'm still really upset," he said. "I could not sleep last night. The part that makes me feel better about it is knowing what he did. That he saved that person's life. That's the only thing I can hang onto."
The sheriff's letter went on to ask those in the community to keep Smith's family in their prayers. DeKalb Fire's Chief Darnell made a similar request while also honoring the memory of someone he said positively impacted his community. in closing, he described a public servant who dedicated his life to the protection of others.
"He is fondly remembered in our department for his passion and dedication to the fire service and the resolute protection he gave the citizens of DeKalb County," Fullum said.
As for Mardant, Smith will be remembered as a mentor who wore many hats and loved serving his community.
"I'm not surprised by what he did," he added. "I'm completely devastated by the outcome."