Greg Brown works part time locating utility lines when people call 811 before they dig. He previously was a lineman for Bowling Green Municipal Utilities for 22 years.

A Warren East High School graduate, he has lived in Warren County since age 2.

Some people are calling what you did last month to remove a man from a burning vehicle heroic. What happened?

We were right there when the wreck happened. As soon as we (Brown and Jeff Bullock) saw it, we shut down. We train every year for CPR and knew we should check everything out. As soon as we saw the girl in the red truck was fine, I ran to the boy. He was going in and out of consciousness. He raised up his arm, and I could see it was broken right in the middle. He was holding it on his chest. I knew we shouldn’t move him, but then the car caught on fire. Jeff went and got an extinguisher, and I was trying to get the door open. He got the fire out, and then it bellowed back up again. I grabbed another extinguisher, and it wasn’t doing any good. Another guy was standing there, and I said, “Dude, we’ve got to get him out now.” I said, “Brandon, I’m fixing to pull you out of the car.” I reached in and drug him through the window. I stayed with him the whole time. It could have been really bad. I told him you have had a blessed day.

My adrenaline must have really been going. When I left I went and sat in a parking lot. … Every day while you are a lineman you are in harm’s way. If you get to go home, you have had a blessed day.

Back to your job: Why is it so important to call 811?

If you are going to be digging … like right now we are in Bent Tree, where there are a lot of primary utilities underground … you can have a very bad day if you don’t call. You could dig and cut a phone line in two and get a bill for $300 or $400. … Between the two of us, we average about 40 tickets a day to locate utilities. It’s really caught on a lot in the last few years. Contractors understand that they didn’t call in and hit something they are going to pay a bill.

You have a Ducks Unlimited membership. Are you a hunter?

I hunt and fish … my wife, I’ve got her hunting, and my kids. Turkey and deer are my favorite to hunt. We’ve been doing some alligator hunting in Port St. Lucie, Fla. We have friends down there, so we go down there to hunt with them and then they come up here. Some people say I’m sort of an adrenaline junkie when it comes to the alligator hunting. I also do some noodling – catching fish with my hands that can be a little dangerous. Me and one of my best friends got into doing it about six or seven years ago. I took Richie West from Butler County, who said he had never gotten a big fish. Well, he got a 70-pounder. We usually catch at least one between 60 and 70 pounds each year. We keep a few but turn most of them out.

What do you do with the alligator?

We turn them into a processor that takes the hides, and we take the meat. Frying it is the best way, but if it is tougher we will cook it down and make gumbos or soups.

What got you into hunting?

We lived on a little bitty farm, and my mom would send me out to hunt rabbit and squirrel. … it was kind of like a special meal. I’m part Native (American), so I guess it’s in my blood. I was probably 8 or 10 when I started. I’ve put my kids in the woods and on the lakes at a young age … and they’ve stayed out of trouble. I have a lot of hunting friends … we will hang out with them in their homes. You meet a lot of amazing people.

Tell me about your family.

My wife’s name is Yankee. She ran for county clerk a few years ago. She worked there for almost 35 years. We have three kids, Kevin, 30, Hunter, 28, and Brittany, who is fixing to graduate from college. We still go out hunting and fishing together and eat supper together just about every Sunday night. We are still a close family.

What is your idea of a perfect summer night?

Being down at Lake Barkley right at dark, cooking on the pontoon boat. It’s a long story, but I’ve been going there ever since I was a kid. Me and my best friend went down there to hunt and fish since I was about 20 years old. Another friend – we bought a place together. Then he bought one, and I bought one. I was going to retire there, but gas went up to $5 a gallon for the boat so I went back to work.