Knightdale—When Fire Lieutenant Goley Boggs saw the foosball table in pieces on the Wal-Mart floor, he immediately thought — fire station.

After the manager gave the OK to scoop up the remnants he was ready to trash, Boggs brought his loot back to the fire station. A woodworker in his time off, he reconstructed the game table that fire crews now enjoy playing on during recreation time.

His work gets more serious. He’s saved lives by reviving Knightdale residents with a defibrillator. And during his career, he has delivered two babies.

His sense of duty, thrift and way with a hammer are just some of the reasons he was given the first mayor’s award. Mayor Russell Killen started the award program this year to honor town employees who are tops in public service.

Boggs was given a plaque, a $100 gift card to Lowe’s Home Improvement, and recognized at a recent Town Council meeting.

“It was really a big surprise,” said Boggs. “It’s good to work for a place that appreciates you even though I don’t do stuff to be recognized. But when people are sitting back and noticing it, it makes you feel good.”

Boggs is all about saving the town money. He built a 16 by 30 foot building for fire storage, and does handyman and mechanic work around the station that would have to be contracted out.

As a lieutenant, he supervises the shifts he works, sees that housekeeping duties are done, that the fire trucks are in working order, oversees fire code inspections at new buildings, educates school children and answers fire calls.

Knightdale’s fire calls range from about two to eight calls a day, Boggs said. There have been no big fires in the five year history of the department, something Boggs attributes in part to good fire prevention programs.

All the while, Boggs is living out his boyhood dream.

“When I was coming along, my cousin and I were real close,” he said. “We used to play with police cars and fire trucks. As we got older that was our dream. I used to run down the street and chase the fire trucks as far as I could go. As soon as I got old enough I’d go on a volunteer department, I did and I just stayed with it.”

His cousin became a state trooper, and Boggs, the firefighter that he has been for 38 years.

Boggs has a soft spot for children, whether it’s giving away the toys he makes for fun in his woodworking shop, showing them around the fire station, or teaching them in fire prevention programs.

“Kids get all excited when they see a fire truck,” he said.

But kids also bring some gut wrenching experiences to mind. There was the seven-year-old he tried to revive, but couldn’t get a heart beat.

“It just plays on your mind,” he said.

Knightdale has a public safety department so the first agency to arrive — be it fire, police or rescue, performs the duties required of the emergency.

With that also are the joys of the successful revivals.

“You do something to give them a second chance,” he said.

Boggs often checks up on people he rescued to see how they are doing. That’s one of the reasons he likes working in a small town.

He’s gratified that his son, Jason, followed him into a career he loves. Jason Boggs works at the Knightdale station, but can’t serve on the same shift his father is working.

Most of all, Boggs is rewarded by the people he meets.

“I just enjoy helping people when they need you,” he said.