Ricky Dale Allen

Fire Engineer II Ricky Dale Allen of the Conover Fire Department in North Carolina, died in the line of duty on March 4, 2023. He passed due to occupational cancer after serving 19 years with the Department. He was 36 years old.

Allen was born on February 3, 1987. He grew up in Newton, North Carolina, and graduated from Newton Conover High School. He loved to be outdoors, and he had a God-given, and often hidden, talent of playing drums. He began playing at the age of three, not even able to reach the kick drum pedal. He was self-taught and enjoyed playing in the band while in high school and for the church as an adult. He was always the fun one. Just as he lit up the room at the station with his snarky comments and humor; he would have everyone echoing with laughter at each family gathering. Everything Allen did was done well, with pride and with meticulous attention to detail. He was the best car detailer around! He was very active and always doing something. If not for his family, he was doing it for others; a true servant’s heart.

Allen followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and became a Junior Firefighter for Conover Fire Department at age 17. He would continue to dedicate the next 19 years of his life to the Conover Fire Department, ending his career as Fire Engineer II. Allen also served on the Taylorsville Fire Department for the last year of his life. Allen, like many other firefighters, put in countless hours of continuing education and he held many certifications, including North Carolina Certifications in Firefighter I & II, EMT, Technical Rescue, along with specialties in Water, Structural Collapse, Trench and Hazardous Materials. Allen was well-respected by his peers and some of the words they used to describe him were: resilient, meticulous, friend, dedicated, steadfast, faithful and loyal. He was quite the prankster and kept his crew laughing. His smile was just about as big as his heart.

Allen was a devoted family man, leaving behind his wife of 11 years, Nicole, and two beautiful daughters, Sophia and Ellie. Allen took pride in being the best husband and father he could be to “his girls”. He was steadfast in his faith and led his family with strength, grace and humility. He was always the one who grounded the family and reminded them to count their blessings and to thank God for everything they had. Nicole works as a hospice nurse and is very involved in their community. She shares her story with others in an effort to help them with life’s challenges and struggles. Here is Nicole’s statement:

“T2T has been such a blessing to our family. Truly an answer to Ricky’s prayers for us and proof that God still hears and answers those prayers, even after one is gone from this world. Words cannot express the gratitude I have for this program. Thank y’all so very much for loving and supporting our family and for the positive impact you all have made on so many other families!”

Fire Engineer II Ricky Dale Allen is survived by his wife, Nicole, and daughters, Sophia and Ellie.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has paid off the mortgage of the Allen family home through the Fallen First Responder Home Program.