For most people, public service becomes a career, but for Sampson native Joshua Deaver, it became a way of life.
Long before he was appointed Sampson County’s new Emergency Management director, Deaver was already answering calls for help. He was doing it as a teenage volunteer firefighter, as an EMT, as a 911 dispatcher, as a deputy sheriff and later as a deputy fire marshal.
Each role placed him in a different corner of emergency response, but the mission never changed: help people, serve the community, and do what he can to make Sampson County better.
Now, after nearly two decades spent working across multiple public safety capacities, Deaver has been entrusted with overseeing one of the county’s most critical departments.
County Manager Allen Vann announced Deaver’s appointment June 18. Deaver will officially assume the role July 1, succeeding interim Emergency Management Director Jerry Cashwell, a retired fire marshal who has led the department during the transition period.
According to county records, Deaver’s annual salary will be $95,448.
Board of Commissioners Chairman Allen McLamb voiced confidence in the selection, describing Deaver as the right person to lead the department moving forward.
“Joshua is the right man for the job,” McLamb stated. “He has all the credentials…”
“It has always been about trying to help my neighbors and the people around me,” Deaver reflected during a recent interview. “I was born and raised here in Sampson County, and I want to retire here. I’ve never really had a desire to go off and work anywhere else.”
His path to the position did not begin in a board room or administrative office. It started in 2006 as a 16-year-old junior volunteer firefighter with Piney Grove Volunteer Fire Department in the northeastern part of the county.
That first opportunity opened the door to a lifelong commitment to emergency services.
While continuing his work with Piney Grove, Deaver joined Suttontown EMS as a volunteer EMT in 2008. He later worked as a part-time and then full-time 911 dispatcher before completing Basic Law Enforcement Training at Sampson Community College.
After graduating, he was sworn in as a deputy sheriff with the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office in 2012.
Beginning his law enforcement career in the Detention Center before moving into patrol, Deaver spent several years serving the county in uniform. Even after a brief departure into the private sector, he maintained ties to public safety by continuing to work part-time in communications.
In 2017, he returned to county government as deputy fire marshal, a position he held until his recent promotion.
Looking back on the journey, Deaver said he struggles to identify a single role that shaped him more than the others.
“I don’t think I could choose just one,” he remarked. “I still carry a piece of all of them with me.”
He still maintains relationships built during his years in law enforcement and credits each stop along the way with teaching valuable lessons.
“911 was probably my favorite job I’ve ever had,” he acknowledged. “But that doesn’t take away from any of the others. I’ve always enjoyed helping people.”
That desire to serve was rooted in his upbringing.
Deaver points to family influences and the close-knit nature of rural Sampson County as major factors in shaping his outlook.
Growing up, he watched an uncle who helped found what was then Suttontown Rescue dedicate himself to serving others. He also remembers spending time at a small country store in his neighborhood, a gathering place where residents connected, shared stories and looked after one another.
Those experiences helped him develop an appreciation for community long before he entered public service.
“It was almost like a little community center,” Deaver recalled. “Being there and interacting with people every day just made me fall in love with the idea of community and helping each other and working together.”
That community-first philosophy will continue to guide him as he takes on leadership of the Emergency Management Department.
Rather than arriving with a lengthy list of sweeping changes, Deaver views his role as one of support, collaboration and empowerment.
He emphasized the strength of the personnel already serving throughout the department’s divisions, including 911 Communications, EMS, the Fire Marshal’s Office and Geographic Information Systems.
“We have some great people in place,” Deaver stated. “They all have ideas, and they all sound like good ideas to me. I definitely want to help push and enable them to keep moving forward.”
One area he hopes to continue addressing is employee recruitment and retention.
Like many counties across North Carolina, Sampson faces challenges competing with larger municipalities and neighboring jurisdictions when it comes to salaries for emergency service professionals.
Deaver believes maintaining a quality workforce remains essential to protecting residents.
“We want to ensure that we can be competitive with other counties so that we can retain and recruit qualified paramedics and dispatchers,” he explained.
As news of his appointment spread throughout the county, Deaver was met with an outpouring of support from colleagues, county leaders and community members.
The response, he admitted, has been humbling.
“It’s overwhelming, for sure,” Deaver shared. “I’m definitely grateful for the vote of confidence.”
At the same time, he recognizes the responsibility that comes with the position.
Rather than viewing the appointment as a personal achievement, Deaver sees it as an opportunity to build upon the work of those who came before him.
“I certainly hope I’m able to build this even better than the people before me built it,” he said. “And kind of continue on that route.”