Those who keep us safe
Shane Greene – A man with fire in his blood

For Shane Greene, fighting fires has been his passion in life for quite some time.
Greene’s great uncle worked for the Vicksburg Fire Department and served as Chief for quite some time. Greene’s uncle also worked for the department. In the late 1990s, Greene had a group of friends who joined the Northeast Warren County Fire Department and talked Greene into joining, and he did so in 1998.
“After I worked my first fire, the fire bug bit me,” he said. “I’ve been hooked ever since.”
Greene was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and moved to Vicksburg when he was all but two years old. Later, at the age of five, Greene and his parents moved to Florida.
After his parents divorced, 13 year old Greene bounced back and forth between his dad in Florida and his mom in Vicksburg. When his father passed away, Vicksburg was Greene’s permanent home in 2007. He continued to pursue his passion for firefighting for Warren County in 2008 where he currently serves.
“I love helping the community,” Greene said. “If we don’t help the community, no one else will. I don’t do it for any other reason than the community needs us.”
Greene has never worked for a paid fire department.
“Working with the volunteer department feels more like a family than a job,” he said.
A close colleague, or as Greene describes a work-family member, is Chuck Tate. Tate is well immersed in the Warren County fire service. “I don’t think anyone works harder and uses their talents better than he does,” Tate said. “He is always there with his skills.”
In March 2015, Greene was diagnosed with cancer. He has been through chemotherapy treatments, radiation, and three unsuccessful abdominal surgeries. During the story’s interview, Greene was being treated at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, to find out what the next steps in his treatment would be.
“I love to fight fires, and sometimes cancer keeps me from doing that because I just don’t have the energy,” Greene said.
Greene has been married for 11 years, has a 24-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter.
Greene has been through moving back and forth between the two states, the death of his father, and now a cancer diagnosis, but firefighting has been his light, his rock and his solid ground throughout most of his life.
“I hate to use the word pride, but I get a sense of accomplishment knowing I helped the community I belong to,” Greene said. “We are the first and last defense for Warren County.”