Andy Junkins is the Secretary of the Board of Directors for Paces Point Volunteer Fire and Rescue. However, recording the minutes of the monthly meetings is just one of his duties. When asked how he became involved with PPVF&R, Andy said "I've always had an interest in working with community organizations. After attending a few meetings and getting to know some of the wonderful people involved, I decided that I wanted to offer my help. That was about 5 years ago, and here I am!"
Andy was born and raised in Birmingham. After 6 1/2 years in the Merchant Marines, Andy spent 45 years as an aircraft technician in avionics, general maintenance, and electronics. He worked for Hayes Aircraft and US Steel in Birmingham. When US Steel closed the aircraft operations in Birmingham, Andy moved to Huntsville where he operated the radio shop at the airport. He subsequently worked for Management Services Inc. as Chief of Maintenance and Chief of Avionics for NASA aircraft and retired in 1989 after 24 years with them.
Andy developed over 150 modifications to aircraft systems to enhance safety of flight and reduce Pilots workload. He received recognition for his efforts in 1985 when he was selected as "Maintenance Technician of the year" by the Southern Region of the Federal Aviation Administration.
In addition to recording the minutes of the meetings (and he really does use a tape recorder), Andy sets the agendas for most meetings. Andy says his job is to separate the "BS from the Business." He is responsible for the annual newsletter and he assists the Treasurer with billing and service charge collections. Andy also does "flow checks" on the fire hydrants on Paces Peninsula to verify the number of gallons per minute flowing from each hydrant. Andy says that the flow rate affects our ISO (Insurance Services Office) rating which, in turn affects the cost of everyone's homeowners insurance. Since 1995, insurance rates for homeowners have been reduced by approximately 50 percent for our fire district.
According to Andy, a friend with US Steel brought him down to Lake Martin to visit during the early 1950's. Andy and his wife, Lou, bought their lake property in 1967, so they've been here for quite a while. Paces Point residents are lucky to have Andy looking out for their best interests.
Andy's homesite is www.lakemartin.net/~junkins/ and he can be reached at junkins@lakemartin.net.
