06/12/2026
After 40 years of faithful service, the Cooper Volunteer Fire Department is honored to recognize and celebrate the retirement of Mike Copeland.
Mike joined the Cooper Volunteer Fire Department on May 27, 1986, recruited, as he likes to tell it, by Jerry Preas. What began as a decision to volunteer his time to help his neighbors grew into four decades of service and commitment to our community.
Throughout those 40 years, Mike has held many roles in this department, including Firefighter, Lieutenant, Assistant Chief, and Fire Marshal. He has witnessed tremendous change within our organization. He has seen the move from the original fire station to the current station, apparatus replaced, generations of firefighters join our ranks, and the fire service itself evolve. Through every change, however, one thing remained constant and that was Mike’s steadfast commitment to ensuring that the legacy, traditions, reputation, and mission of this department always remained first and foremost.
The volunteer fire service is built upon selfless individuals who willingly sacrifice their time and energy for the benefit of others. People like Mike Copeland, and many other generations of firefighters are the very foundation upon which departments like ours are built. For 40 years, Mike has faithfully served his community, his county, and his neighbors, not for recognition or reward, but because he believed in helping others and giving back to his community.
Mike’s contributions to this department and the success it has achieved are unparalleled. His impact reaches far beyond emergency scenes and the fire station. Generations of Cooper Elementary students know Mike through Fire Prevention Week, where year after year he helped ensure children received important fire safety messages, had the opportunity to meet their firefighters, tour the station, and take home lessons that could one day save lives.
Mike has been instrumental in many of the traditions that helped define our department, including the annual Fourth of July Golf Tournament and the Mother’s Day Spaghetti Luncheon. He has been a familiar face, a trusted friend, a listening ear, and an advocate for this department throughout our community.
Despite our greatest efforts to convince him otherwise, Mike has decided that it is time to retire from active service. While we are saddened to see this chapter come to a close, we recognize that reaching this milestone is something worth celebrating. It stands as a testament not only to Mike’s character and dedication, but also to the rich history of our department and the outstanding individuals who have committed themselves to serving their community.
Mike, thank you for everything that you have done for this department over the past 40 years. The reputation and success of the Cooper Volunteer Fire Department bears your fingerprints in countless ways
Please join us in congratulating Mike on his well-deserved retirement and thanking him for 40 years of
exemplary service to the Cooper Volunteer Fire Department and the citizens we are privileged to serve.
And don’t worry, we’ve made Mike promise to join us for a few cups of coffee around the station.
Congratulations, Mike!
