In this recurring special feature, Nonahood News recognizes and honors those everyday heroes who have served or are currently serving our country and making a difference in our community. Those who reside in the Lake Nona and surrounding area are our Nona Heroes.
This month’s hero has been fighting fires for the past 15 years and began working in EMS in South Florida in 1994. He moved to the Central Florida area in 1998 and worked for Florida Hospital and Rural Metro. He joined the fire academy in 2003 and found himself employed at Osceola County Fire Rescue as a firefighter later that year. Meet Keith Grice.
“I have lived in Lake Nona for the past three years. Besides working at Osceola County, I have two other jobs: I work at Florida Hospital as a Registered Nurse and I work at Universal Orlando as a paramedic.” Grice continued to explain why he chose to fight fires and save lives. “Ever since I was a child, I’ve had an interest in the fire department and ambulances. It wasn’t until I was 23 when that interest became real life. I started working for an ambulance company in Fort Lauderdale.”
Grice explained how he joined the fire department later in life at the age of 32 but wished he had joined when he was 18. When he’s not acting as a battalion chief for the Osceola County Fire Department or working at his other two jobs, he spends time with his 15-year-old daughter. Grice also has a 22-year-old son and a 21-year-old daughter.
Grice has been battalion chief for five and a half years and he explained the list of promotions that led up to that title. “I started in the department as a firefighter. I was promoted to the rank of engineer in 2006. Then in 2009, I was promoted to lieutenant. And then in 2013, I made battalion chief. I currently serve as the hazmat battalion chief on my shift.” Grice continued to explain some of his duties: “Being a hazmat battalion chief has its challenges. Not only do I do the normal duties as a battalion chief, but I’m also responsible for all hazmat scenes on my shift. Not to mention all the training that goes into it … battalion chiefs oversee the daily operations in their battalion. A battalion consists of three to five stations. They also are in charge of complicated scenes such as structure fires.”
And speaking of structure fires … when asked what some of his best memories were while serving as a firefighter, Grice mentioned a structure fire that he was in command of in December 2016. It was the largest fire he had ever been in command of.
Battalion Chief Grice has a twin brother who also happens to work as a lieutenant for Osceola County Fire Rescue. Back in 2000, they worked on the ambulance together and were even showcased on the TLC show Paramedics. “It’s been [an] amazing experience working with my twin brother, and to be on the show with him was a great experience. How many people can say they were on a show with their twin that was real life?” To see Keith and his brother, Kevin, in action on the show, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRzHKayDtFE
Grice is not only a hero, but also a survivor. He had cancer twice in the last seven years – bladder cancer in 2011 and thyroid cancer in 2014. The good news is he is now cancer free!
If you would like to nominate someone for our next Nona Heroes feature, please send an email to nicole@nonahoodnews.com or complete the form here: nonahood.to/nonaheroes.
