09/13/2026
In March of 2023, Phillip Donohue of Grovetown Fire Rescue was announced as our Employee of the Month. A lot has changed since then, and we’re happy to say that Mr. Donohue received the honor once more as our July 2026 Employee of the Month! So, today, we’re looking back on Phil’s story, and shining our Employee Spotlight on him once again.
Born in Houston, Texas, Phillip and his family bounced around a bit due to his father’s job. After living in a few different places in his early years, Phillip and his family eventually settled in Asheville, North Carolina. Phillip played baseball during his youth, and attended T.C. Roberson High School, where he graduated in 1996.
With the encouragement of a friend, Phillip signed up with the Skyland Fire Department outside of Asheville. He must have found his true calling, because Phillip has been involved in Fire Rescue ever since! He spent about 11 years in Skyland, before moving to Jacksonville, North Carolina and working with their department for roughly 3 years. Phillip then took over as Fire Chief for International Paper in Augusta, Georgia, spending 11 in that position as well.
In 2022, at the suggestion of his son, Ian, Phillip Donohue began considering making the move the City of Grovetown. Ian works at Fire Station #2 and sold his dad on our City’s fire department. Wanting a change of pace and more interaction with the community, Mr. Donohue left the mill and came here. In 2024, Phillip was promoted to Fire Marshal and now oversees fire safety compliance and enjoys making connections with business owners in the community. Whether life safety, property conservation, or anything under the sun, Phil is your go-to guy when it comes to protecting the businesses and their occupants in our City.
When asked what he enjoys most about his job, Phillip said, “There’s just such a sense of fulfillment in what we do. You want to do good; you want to help people. Everything we do helps somebody.” He also enjoys the camaraderie with his coworkers, and as Level II Fire Instructor, he can teach just about anything on firefighting there is! Phillip is also able to provide public education to our citizens, making him a great asset to our City.
Married to wife Melissa for 27 years, Phillip has 3 children: Ian, Makayla, and Patrick, who is currently a junior at Young Harris College. He also has Mabel, the family dog, a Springer Spaniel/Labrador mix. He and his family have also made the addition of Luna, a Great Pyrenees, since his first spotlight! In his spare time, Phillip enjoys flying drones and woodworking. He also helps the City from time to time by drawing up floor plans for future projects in our area! There is truly nothing Phillip cannot do!
We appreciate Mr. Donohue for all of his hard work and dedication to our community. If you happen to see him out and about, be sure to congratulate him and thank him for all of his hard work for our City! After all, we couldn’t be more grateful to have Phillip on our team. Thanks, Phillip!
