Matthew Maier, Rotational Lieutenant at Southampton Fire Company and firefighter in the Air Force, has always been interested in what first responders do and giving back to the community.

“I joined to explore it and ended up falling in love with it,” he said.

At 14, Matthew joined Southampton as a junior firefighter, became a certified firefighter at 18, and currently serves as a Rotational Lieutenant and Co-Chairman of the Fire Prevention Committee.

“What I enjoy the most about volunteering is being able to give back to the community and essentially take care of people who could be your neighbor,” said Matthew. “There is no better feeling than being there for someone on the worst day of their life.”

Matthew has been a volunteer for seven years and in the Air Force for three. During his time in the Air Force, he was stationed in Texas and South Korea. For the past year, he’s been in Delaware at the Dover Air Force Base where he is also a driver/operator of the ladder truck.

“Since I started at Southampton at such a young age, it matured me faster than my peers because I was learning to do a life or death job,” said Matthew. “When I turned 18 and left for the military, I felt ahead and was already self-sufficient going into that daily life.”

After leaving for Texas, Matthew appreciated how supportive Southampton was.

“They were always checking in on my family after I left,” said Matthew. “Southampton taught me to be good to people and they will be good to you in return.”

Matt works 48-hour shifts in the Air Force with two days on and two days off.

Southampton Fire Company thanks Matthew for his service! To learn more about volunteering, visit www.JoinSouthamptonFire.org.