GROVES — For 42 years Larry Mannino split his life between family, work and firefighting.

In January the longtime volunteer firefighter retired and just recently he was honored with the 2017 Otis Barnes Award Fireman of the Year. He also won the title in 1989, making him one of three who have earned the distinction of being named fireman of the year twice.

“He is somebody you can count on when you need something done,” Groves Fire Chief Dale Jackson said.

Faith and duty moved Mannino to get involved.

“I was in junior high here (locally) then my dad lost his job and we moved to Silsbee. Our house caught fire and I saw the firefighters put the fire out and at work the next day,” Mannino said. “I said if I ever have the opportunity to repay them I would.”

When asked why he stayed as a volunteer firefighter his answer was simple.

“God says do onto others as you would have them do unto you and love your neighbor as yourself; help those who are unfortunate,” he said. “Because when you have a fire you are unfortunate, you need people.”

Mannino joined as a volunteer in 1976 and has worked at Arco, later Equistar where he was a light and heavy equipment operator and later with ProTherm inside ExxonMobil followed by five years at Lucite in Nederland.

All of his jobs have involved safety — bringing him full circle with being a volunteer firefighter — he even spent 20 years as a training officer with GFD and working with the junior firefighter program.

GFD currently has 14 paid firefighters and 25 volunteers, where at peak there were 40 to 50 volunteers. The drop in the number of volunteer firefighters is something seen around the country as people’s lives become busier than ever with work, family obligations, children and more, Capt. Billy Foret said.

“It can be an inconvenience,” Foret said of balancing the obligations. “Dinner can be at 6:30 at Luby’s and your wife has the kids ready. You drive out of the driveway and get the call. It’s something they grow to understand.”

Mannino’s wife Kim understands and supports him saying the juggle between the volunteer fire department and work and family is something all of the wives can relate to.

The newly named fireman of the year also tends to his spiritual side through the Kairos prison ministry, something that one of his brothers got him involved in 23 years ago. He said people sometimes ask why he would spend time with criminals.

“I let them know God loves them,” he said. “It’s a blessed program and very few inmates go back to prison who have been part of the program.”

Now that he’s retired Mannino has let his beard grow out; something he couldn’t do before as a firefighter, and is ready to embrace the extra time he has on his hands with prison ministry and spending time with his wife and grandchildren.