Jarrett was born July 24‚ 1984‚ in Fort Oglethorpe‚ Georgia. He is survived by his parents‚ Kenny and Becky‚ and his younger brother‚ Sean.
Jarrett’s interest in becoming a firefighter began at age twelve. He saw the firemen testing the hydrant in front of our house and was hooked from that moment on. He joined Ft. Oglethorpe Fire Department’s Explorer Post 2305 and volunteered all of his free time at our local Fire Station #8. He helped the team win several awards in competitions.
Jarrett kept a scanner in his bedroom and would wake his daddy up when the tones sounded for his station so he could go on a call. Jarrett couldn’t wait until he was old enough to drive so he and his brother could go on calls together.
While in high school‚ Jarrett was a member of the JROTC and won the Minuteman and the Purple Heart Award. He often talked about the need for volunteers and how it helped others in their community. There are several people who are firefighters today because of Jarrett‚ one of those being his younger brother‚ Sean. In May 2007‚ Jarrett‚ Sean‚ and Jarrett’s best friend‚ Lance‚ took off from their regular jobs to help fight wildfires in southern Georgia.
Jarrett received many certificates as an Explorer and as a firefighter‚ including: National EMT-I‚ HAZMAT‚ Swift Water Rescue & Rope Rescue Tech; Crash Victims & School Bus Extrication‚ Public Fire & Life Safety Educator I‚ HUMAN Factors on the Front Line‚ and Georgia Certified Fire Fighter. He completed the CEVOII-Fire course to become a driver so he could make sure that a fire truck got en route when the tones sounded. Jarrett received the 2002 ‘Rookie of the Year’ award and the 2005 ‘Fire Fighter of the Year’ award at Station 8.
Jarrett enjoyed spending time at the lake with his best friends‚ Angie and Lance‚ and with his little buddy‚ Tyler‚ riding his Sea-Doo. He enjoyed rock climbing and rappelling with his girlfriend‚ Shannon. Known as ‘The Radio Guy‚’ Jarrett also enjoyed putting LED lights and radios in people’s vehicles and programming scanners for anyone who wanted it done.
Jarrett wore many hats and worked several jobs at the same time. He wasn’t afraid of working hard. He would give you his time‚ physical or financial help‚ or the shirt off his back. Jarrett is greatly missed by his family‚ friends‚ coworkers‚ and community. He loved his job and always had a smile on his face.
Jarrett Lee Little was a firefighter to the very end. He got to live out his dream.
I see his beautiful memorial often as I travel Mission Ridge Road from Chickamauga to Rossville, GA. I found his memorial page on Google. I know he was a very fine young man and example for all young men to follow. I pray that your memories will remain sweet as you allow the Lord to help ease your pain. I know it never quite goes away but hopefully it gets better with each passing day.
– Phyllis Thompson