Hendersonville's Heatherly wins 'Best Use of Humor' at NC3C communicators state conference

Dean Hensley, Hendersonville Times-News

Brandy Heatherly, the city of Hendersonville's communications coordinator, thought of an April Fool's social media post with the Hendersonville Fire Department that she knew would get a lot of laughs — it never occurred to her that it would also get her a statewide award.

Hendersonville firefighters pretend they are fighting a fire with pool noodles in an April Fool's social media post on April 1, 2023. The post was the idea of Brandy Heatherly, who won "Best Use of Humor" at the NC3C communicators conference in Concord.
Hendersonville firefighters pretend they are fighting a fire with pool noodles in an April Fool's social media post on April 1, 2023. The post was the idea of Brandy Heatherly, who won "Best Use of Humor" at the NC3C communicators conference in Concord.

At the NC3C North Carolina City and County Communicators Conference held April 10-12 in Concord, Heatherly said she was anxiously awaiting in her seat when they announced the winner for "Best Use of Humor," and the announcement came as a pleasant surprise.

"I’ll be honest, my heart was racing, and I couldn't wipe the grin off my face when they announced, ‘City of Hendersonville.’ It was an honor to represent my hometown on a state level," she told the Times-News on April 14.

Every year before April 1, members of the Hendersonville Communications Department think of April Fool's Day pranks. For 2023, Heatherly hatched up the scheme of firefighters using swimming pool noodles instead of fire hoses.

City of Hendersonville Communications Coordinator Brandy Heatherly poses with her NC3C communicators conference "Best of Humor" award she won for her April Fool's social media post where firefighters were using pool noodles instead of hoses to put out fires.
City of Hendersonville Communications Coordinator Brandy Heatherly poses with her NC3C communicators conference "Best of Humor" award she won for her April Fool's social media post where firefighters were using pool noodles instead of hoses to put out fires.

“Government communications might not always be associated with humor, but here at the Hendersonville Communications Department, we like to have fun with our community outreach if possible. So, when April 2023 rolled around, I pitched a quirky idea to the Hendersonville Fire Department. To my surprise, Fire Chief D.J. Miller and an entire crew were on board," she said.

Heatherly said firefighters went as far as rigging up a water hose inside the noodles and acting like a building was on fire for the social media posts.

The Facebook post alone had 50 shares and several positive comments.

"I’d like to give a huge shoutout to my manager Allison (Justus) for always encouraging creativity, Fire Chief Miller for approving my April Fool’s Day idea and the fantastic team at the Hendersonville Fire Department," Heatherly said. "They took a silly concept — swapping fire hoses for pool noodles — and really ran with it.

Hendersonville firefighters pretend they are fighting a fire with pool noodles in an April Fool's social media post on April 1, 2023. The post was the idea of Brandy Heatherly, who won "Best Use of Humor" at the NC3C communicators conference in Concord.
Hendersonville firefighters pretend they are fighting a fire with pool noodles in an April Fool's social media post on April 1, 2023. The post was the idea of Brandy Heatherly, who won "Best Use of Humor" at the NC3C communicators conference in Concord.

"My job was reminding them to act serious while taking photos, which was no easy feat with pool noodles. Working alongside our firefighters is always a pleasure. They're not just first responders, they've got a great sense of humor, too."

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Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Heatherly's pool noodles idea earns top award at NC3C conference

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