Why I Love Franklin County: Randy Seal
FRANKLIN LIVING— Russellville native Randy Seal began his career with the Russellville Fire Department in 1996 as volunteer firefighter. A volunteer job soon became a career passion, and Seal has been full time with the department for 20 years. Seal’s wife Kim is an RN at Russellville Hospital on the home health side. Their son Jacob, 23, is a business and finance graduate from the University of Alabama who now lives and works in Nashville, and son Joshua, 20, is a junior on the golf team at Birmingham-Southern College. They are both Russellville High School graduates.
What is your job title, and what does your work entail?
As B-shift captain, I see to the day-to-day operations for B-shift, every third day. I make sure all firefighters come in for their assigned shift and are safe and productive on the job and get them back home to their families.
What made you choose your job, and what about it is meaningful to you?
Being a volunteer was one of the main reasons I decided to choose the profession. It was seeing what all was involved and the excitement of the cause. After becoming full time, it was more about being that person who went to help people when they needed help.
One of the biggest things over the years that has been most satisfying to me has been being able to help children in different ways: through our fire prevention program every year when we see them and teach them what they need to do in case something happens at their house and the Toy Drive we do every year. A lot of stuff we do here is geared toward helping children, and I especially enjoy that part of the job.
I enjoy helping any people. We do a lot of activities that help the community.
What is your favorite place to visit in Franklin County?
I don’t have on particular favorite place in the county that I enjoy visiting. I enjoy wherever my family and friends are – family events, and that could be anywhere.
What are your favorite Franklin County restaurants, and what do you like about each of them?
43 Grill is my favorite in Russellville. I like it because the people who run it are friendly and talk to everyone who comes in. It’s Christian family-owned. I usually get the grilled pork chop. The other place I go to every now and then that I like is Backwoods Fish Camp because I love seafood, and they have the seafood buffet up there.
Why do you love Franklin County?
I have never known anything else but Franklin County. I’ve lived in Russellville my entire life. I come from a pretty large family, especially on my daddy’s side; I probably have more than 100 cousins who live all around the area, and a large number of them still live in Franklin County. I love the closeness of the community and how we have always taken care of each other. Everybody seems to be pretty friendly and always have been. Franklin County is not a big city area, big metropolis. It’s more of a country background, and I like that. I don’t care for the hustle and bustle of heavy traffic areas like Birmingham like that. It’s a laid-back place but still has plenty to offer.
Fast Five
- Favorite hobby: Golf, working out, coin collector
- Favorite food: Grilled stuffed shrimp
- Goal or ambition: To continue on with my career at the fire department and be a good example and support my sons and maybe be a grandparent one day
- Church: Calvary Baptist Church
- Something people might not know about me is: I’ve worn a flat top for over 20 years, and I do that in honor and remembrance of my family members who have been in the military. I have four or five uncles, several of who have passed on, who served, and my grandfather also served.
