Every month the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) selects a Law Enforcement Officer as its Officer of the Month and features that officer in the Living Legend section of its calendar. In February 2000, Assistant State Fire Marshal Ed Paulk was selected as Officer of the Month and is being featured as a Living Legend in the 2002 calendar. Ed is the first fire marshal in the country to recieve this honor. Below is the article found in the calendar about Ed.
"Not everyone thinks of fire marshals as part of law enforcement. But in many states, they are sworn officers who tackle crimes involving arson or explosion.
Assistant State Fire Marshal Paulk served as a police officer in Montgomery, Alabama, before joining the state's Department of Insurance in 1984. One of his cases involved the bombing of a women's clinic, which killed Birmingham Police Officer Sande Sanderson. His efforts in that investigation led to the identification of Eric Rudolph, the suspected Atlanta Olympic Games bomber, as the lead suspect in the case. Edward Paulk's professionalism and attention to detail have resulted in many solved cases, and he routinely assists local, state and federal agencies with cold cases. Despite a heavy workload, he also finds time to teach, promote fire safety in local schools and attend his children's little league baseball and basketball games."