(This week The Columbian-Progress spotlights MDR Construction Safety Director, Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Chief and Mississippi Fire Chief’s Association Southwest Vice President Cole Robbins.)
Q: When and where were you born?
A: I was born in Hattiesburg Nov. 26, 1985.
Q: Where did you attend school?
A: I attended East Marion until the third grade then transferred to Columbia Academy where I graduated from in 2004. I went to Pearl River Community College for one year, then I transferred to Southeastern Louisiana where I got my bachelor’s degree in occupational safety, health and environmental.
Q: What was your childhood like?
A: The thing I remember most is spending time at home playing outside. My parents always kind of ran me out of the house so I would play outside. I really enjoyed my childhood. My parents were always there for me.
Q: Where do you work? Tell us about your job/company.
A: I’m the safety director at MDR Construction. I manage the safety department, and the purpose of it is to attempt to prevent injuries and accidents throughout our company. We do powerline construction. I’m the volunteer fire chief of Tri-Community Fire Department. I also am one of the county divers and a deputy with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. I’m also the southwest vice president of the Mississippi Fire Chief’s Association. All of that outside of MDR is volunteer.
Q: What led you to your profession?
A: I started working at MDR when I was 17 part time just as something to make a little money. When I got out of high school, I worked more hours while I was in college and worked here in the shop. I always had a desire to help people, and one of the ways I could do that at MDR by helping to prevent somebody from losing their life while working or getting severely injured. I really like that idea, so I pursued that degree in college while I was still working part time. While I was at school, I worked part time at the university police department. One thing led to another, and I had some friends involved in the volunteer fire department so I joined when I was 21.
Q: What do you enjoy most about these positions allowing you to help people?
A: With the company my entire job is to prevent loss to the company, both financially and more importantly prevent loss of life. I think that’s very important. We don’t want to see anybody get hurt, so we do the best we can to prevent those things from happening.
Q: Who are the people who have been most influential in your life?
A: My parents, Greg and Janell Robbins. My dad highly recommended I get a job when I was 12 years old. I started working part time on a farm on Saturday. I was pulling weeds, hoeing, picking peas and things like that. They brought me up in a Christian environment. They helped instill the work ethic and morals I have today.
Q: What is your spouse’s name?
A: Chelsea Adams Robbins. She is a CT technician at Forrest General Hospital.
Q: Do you have children?
A: I have a 3-year-old daughter, Caitlin.
Q: If you could have anything for your last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: I would probably go to Cotton Blues and get the grilled quail with greens and sweet potatoes.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: I’ve traveled a good bit inside of the United States because of my job, so probably South America. I think it would be pretty neat to go to the jungles of South America.
Q: What hobbies do you like to do in your spare time?
A: I like to kayak, go camping, spear fish on the rivers around here, do yard work and my wife and I scuba dive. Most of the time I just go home, play with my little girl and hang out with my wife.
Q: What do you enjoy about Columbia and Marion County?
A: I wouldn’t live anywhere else. I guess there’s bad things about knowing everybody and everybody knowing you, but there’s also a lot of good things about it. It’s a tight-knit community. I would hate to know I have to leave here for any reason. If you need somebody or need some kind of help, I know hundreds of people I could call who would help and be there for me.
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone from your life or history, who would it be and why?
A: My grandparents on my mom’s side, Lewis and Tommy Jean Peavy. I grew up about 100 yards from their house, and I took it for granted that they were right there close to me. Both of them were very good, Christian people. They taught me a lot, but there’s so much more I could’ve learned from them. They died relatively close to each other when I was around 17 or 18, and I guess I figured they would always be there. I’d love to have lunch with them and get to see them one more time.
Q: If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do all day?
A: Work on my land, cutting grass and cutting bushes then just go sit on the creek bank and hang out.
Q: Would you rather read a good book or watch a good movie and why?
A: Watch a movie. I don’t have a lot of time to read books.
Q: What would be the No. 1 thing on your Bucket List?
A: I’d like to build a camp down on my land by the river and possibly live there one day after I retire where there’s some peace.
Q: If you could describe your morals in three words, what would they be?
A: Hard working, honesty and helpfulness.
Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: I’d like to be remembered as someone that did the best I could to help my community and fellow man in general.
— Joshua Campbell
Pictured Above: Cole Robbins, who works for MDR Construction and is the fire chief of the Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department, has dedicated his life to lending a hand to those in need. “I always had a desire to help people,” he said. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
