Cherokee Street Signs Honor Firefighter, Wife Killed In Home

HOLLY SPRINGS, GA — New street signs honoring the late Justin and Amber Hicks were unveiled on Sept. 6 during a ceremony at the Cherokee County Fire and Training Complex.

Channel 2 Action News reported in November 2021 that the Cobb County couple was found dead in their home with multiple gunshots. Matthew Lanz, 22, of Acworth, was arrested in the case and faced 43 charges across two counties, the outlet reported.

The street signs also honor the Hicks' son, Jacob, Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services told Patch.

Justin Hicks served as a fire apparatus operator/paramedic for the Cherokee County fire department for six years, according to fire officials in a release.

The new signs bear the names Justin Walk, Hicks Circle, Amber Walk and Jacob Avenue.

They were revealed by Amber Hicks' father, Mark Boggs, during Blue Card Command, the department’s first live fire training exercise for a new incident command system, according to the release.

The buildings on the training grounds will be numbered with important dates from the Hicks' lives such as their birthdays and wedding anniversary, fire officials said.

“We are excited to finally unveil these signs and begin dispatching training scenarios
using them,” Cherokee County Fire Chief Eddie Robinson said at the ceremony. “I look forward to
what the fire department has in store for the future, and I can assure you that Justin,
Amber and Jacob will never, ever, be forgotten by the members of this organization.”

Last week's live fire training exercise was the first of its kind, according to the county fire department.

According to a release, the Blue Card Command System "helps incident commanders with communications on the fire ground and helps them to make better decisions."

The certification course consisted of a 50-hour online class, followed by a week-long classroom simulation. The department said all county fire personnel will train and will prepare to implement Blue Card Command in the fall.