{"218771":{"#nid":"218771","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Labbe Finds \u2018Perfect Fit\u2019 as Fire Marshal","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMost people run away from a fire \u2014 and then there\u2019s Larry Labbe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019ll hear the sirens, and my adrenaline will start to pump,\u201d said Labbe, Georgia Tech\u2019s fire marshal who spent years fighting fires for Cherokee County. \u201cIt\u2019s like a knee-jerk reaction that I still want to be part of the team making a difference.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELabbe likes to say that fire service found him. Both his uncle and grandfather were firefighters. So when Labbe was working for Kroger and had to complete volunteer hours as part of the company\u2019s tuition reimbursement program, it seemed logical to become a volunteer firefighter, which evolved into a full-time job. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere were times I would fight as many as three fires in one shift \u2014 I loved being able to help others,\u201d he said. \u201cBut my mind wasn\u2019t being challenged, and for me, that\u2019s a huge part of career enrichment.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter a stint in the Cherokee County Fire Marshal\u2019s Office, Labbe applied for his current position and began work in 2010. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis job has just been the perfect fit for me,\u201d Labbe added. \u201cThere\u2019s so much variety in what I do everyday; I\u2019m constantly challenged.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERead on to learn more about Labbe and his time at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u2019s an average day like for you?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EI assist with fire safety-related planning for everything from campus events to partnerships between Atlanta Fire Rescue and campus. I also teach GT1000 and am responsible for the fire safety training offered on campus. And I\u2019m currently pursuing a four-year executive fire officer certification program through the National Fire Academy, which I will complete in July. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat would you like people on campus to know about your job and office?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy office is a state-deputized fire marshal\u2019s office, and part of the Tech community. We offer a variety of fire prevention programs, through training and collaboration. We enjoy working with all the colleges and departments on campus. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the greatest challenge associated with your job?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003ETrying to figure out the best way to share fire safety messages with different audiences. For example, the way I communicate a message to a college freshmen is very different from the way I\u2019d share it with a 15-year \u003Cbr \/\u003Eveteran researcher.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the one piece of technology you couldn\u2019t live without? \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy iPhone. I move from place to place based on what my iCal tells me to do, and I rely on the work-related apps (such as a light meter app) that I have on the phone. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhich do you prefer: Facebook, Twitter, or a world without any of it?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFacebook. It\u2019s been so helpful in terms of reconnecting mewith people I went to school with when I was younger. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite spot on campus?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI love the Fifth Street Bridge. Tech managed to do something different with a typical hard structure like a bridge. We reclaimed it with nature.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the greatest risk you\u2019ve taken?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn all of the fires that I fought, there was only one where I felt like I was risking my life. That was the one time where the risk was probably much greater than the reward. But thankfully, we all made it out safely. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u2019s the best advice you\u2019ve heard?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENever turn your back on a fire.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite place to eat lunch?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESix Feet Under, and I order the fish tacos.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us something unique about yourself.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI was the Southern Polytechnic State University basketball team mascot for a \u003Cbr \/\u003Ecouple of years.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMost people run away from a fire \u2014 and then there\u2019s Larry Labbe.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Most people run away from a fire \u2014 and then there\u2019s Larry Labbe."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2013-06-24 13:35:52","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:27","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-06-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-06-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"218541":{"id":"218541","type":"image","title":"Larry Labbe","body":null,"created":"1449180151","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:02:31","changed":"1475894885","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:05","alt":"Larry Labbe","file":{"fid":"197197","name":"larry.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/larry_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/larry_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2163187,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/larry_0.jpg?itok=HfuJCBHo"}}},"media_ids":["218541"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"40541","name":"fire marshal"},{"id":"68311","name":"Larry Labbe"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}