Thursday, colleagues of long time Picayune firefighter John Mark Mitchell gathered to celebrate his retirement from the Picayune Fire Department.
The Picayune native began his career as a volunteer with the Picayune Fire Department on Oct. 30 1984. Four years later he became a part-time firefighter and in 1989 he began working as a full-time firefighter.
In 1999, he was promoted to lieutenant and a year later, he was named captain.
In 2003, he was promoted to battalion chief and on June 9, 2004 he was promoted to deputy fire chief of the Picayune Fire Department.
For the past 18 years, Mitchell has served as a justice court judge in Pearl River County and that’s what he will continue to do after retiring.
“It’s been a great place to work in a Christian atmosphere,” he said. “The fire department is a big family, a team, that has helped me through my career. If I’m having a problem, we can talk.”
One of Mitchell’s most memorable moments of his career was 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.
“People did what they had to do and I learned how to understand the things I saw that I didn’t agree with at first,” he said. “We did everything. We split into teams and took care of fuel, food and people in all different ways. I learned that I had more inside of me that I thought I had.”
Mitchell has been named firefighter of the year on three different occasions and received many letters of commendation from the mayor and council.
Mitchell said he will miss the guys, but not for long, because he will be back to visit often.
“I’ve loved it and I want to thank the citizens of Picayune for allowing me this opportunity,” Mitchell said. “I also want to thank my family, friends and God. If you’ve got a job you love, you never have to work a day in your life.”
Upon Mitchell’s retirement in January, Barry Lee assumed the role of deputy chief and said he hopes he can fill Mitchell’s shoes. Lee has worked with Mitchell for about 17 years and said he’s always been fair and honest.
“You know where you stand with him,” he said. “He taught me that the way you handle things is to be upfront and honest about your feelings. I will miss the relationship of him being here all the time. He brought a lot to this department and he will be missed.”
Picayune Fire Chief Keith Brown was assigned to Mitchell’s shift when Brown was a young firefighter.
“He is a wealth of knowledge and going to be missed tremendously,” Brown said. “We appreciated his service.”
Picayune Fire Department secretary Janet Guidry said there’s never a dull moment when Mitchell is around.
“If a man goes through his life with one friend, he is blessed,” Guidry said, “but he has several. One of the unique and great things about the Picayune Fire Department is that we are a family. You don’t feel like you are going to work, it’s a pleasure to come in.”