PANAMA CITY — Look around and you just might catch the city’s newest addition to the fire station.
The Panama City Fire Department recently presented 10-year-old Michael Southerland with a signed firefighter’s helmet and recognized him as an honorary firefighter for the day during a Lids 4 Kids presentation.
Complete with a certificate proclaiming his new honorary title, a tour of the firetruck and a cake in the shape of a helmet, Southerland said he was nervous but excited about the new role.
“I’m happy to be a firefighter,” Southerland said.
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Southerland added that he loves to dress up like a firefighter and he wants to be one forever.
Southerland, who is diagnosed with Down syndrome, was the 50th child to be given a helmet by the local nonprofit Lids 4 Kids, which was started by Panama City Fire Department Engineer Shanen French back in 2014. This program nominates children with a disability or illness to receive a helmet and allows them to “focus on being just a kid,” as their community comes together to honor them.
French said he was happy that Southerland was nominated for the helmet, especially after learning about what a rockstar he was from locals in the community.
“It was the first time I’d ever done one of these that many people knew about him,” French said. “And people were coming up to me and strangers were saying, ‘hey, is he the next guy or whatever.’ So that being said, it was pretty amazing to do it. And he’s got a pretty good crowd.”
French said after learning of Southerland, he saw him in person at a fundraising event and the rest was history.
“They nominated [Michael] and then Jim Ray and I saw him at a fashion show for a fundraiser and he was out there just doing his thing and pointing to the crowd,” French said. “We said ‘Yeah, he’s it,’ so he ends up being number 50.”
Panama City Fire Chief David Collier said he was introduced to Southerland through French and sees how wonderful he is. After doing multiple Lids 4 Kids events through the years, Collier said the fire department is excited to partake in these events and support French.
“I think it’s just the nature of the fire service, we always just want to reach out to the community, we always want to go above and beyond to support those individuals in need,” Collier said. “I think this is an excellent program that Shanen has developed.”
During the presentation, Michael asked his sister, Katie Southerland, to come up and share the moment with him. Katie said she was excited about this opportunity for her brother and that if you know Michael, it is easy to celebrate him.
“I think at first he didn’t really know what was going on, so that’s why he’s quiet because he’s never quiet,” Katie Southerland said. “I think he’s a little overwhelmed right now, but it’s really cool. He loves looking at big trucks and all the gadgets in it.”
The program has also honored children from various states which include Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky. The Lids 4 Kids program has grown over the last several years and has received helmets from agencies located as far away as Wyoming and New York.
French said he is happy about how this presentation turned out and the attendance from the community and sponsors.
“I think it’s growing and getting bigger. We’ve got sponsors here,” French said. “Everybody helps to make this thing go together, so it really, really turned out well.”
As for the first thing Michael Southerland is going to do with his new title as an honorary firefighter? Go to school, he said. But not before checking out the firetruck and all its features, which he was pumped about.
For French, a local for the area for the past 29 years, said he just loves how involved the community gets with his nonprofit, and seeing it grow to give their 50th kid a helmet means a lot to him. French, who received a key to the city on Tuesday for his nonprofit work, also said he loves the opportunity to be able to bring a smile to kids’ faces.
“I think these kids really, really shine when they do it,” French said. “I’ve been here 29 years. I’ve got a lot of support from the chief. The mayor, the city is 100% behind me. It’s just a great thing.”
