Life-Saving Firefighter Rickett Honored During Whitfield's 39th Appreciation Banquet

A firefighter never knows when his life-saving skills might be needed.  Just ask Chandler Rickett. 

Back in April, the Whitfield County firefighter was eating supper with his girlfriend’s family at Logan’s Roadhouse in Dalton when he heard a commotion on the other side of the restaurant.
He thought it was just the sounds of a birthday party at first, then discovered from an employee that an elderly man was choking. Rickett sprang out of his seat, rushing across the restaurant and putting the training he had received from the Whitfield County Fire Department into action. There he found Roy Wrinkle in full cardiac arrest. 

“A young fireman, Chandler, rushed to our aid without hesitation,” Pat Painter would write a few days later in a letter of appreciation to Fire Chief Ed O’Brien. “Dad’s face and lips were so purple and I was certain he was dead. Words can’t adequately express our shock and disbelief as we watched our 82-year-old father dying on the floor of Logan’s Restaurant. This young man, so steady and sure of himself, checked Dad for a pulse and began chest compressions. He was gentle but firm and obviously knew what he was doing. I’ve never prayed so hard for anything or anyone in my life as I prayed for Chandler to give life back to my Dad.” 

As she and relatives, friends, customers, and restaurant workers offered prayer and support, Mr. Wrinkle began to recover. “I thought it would never end,” Ms. Painter wrote, “and I’ll never forget the relief that washed over me when I heard Chandler say those magical words, ‘He has a pulse.’ ” 

Mr. Wrinkle has advanced stage heart disease, so his cardiology team in Atlanta and his primary care doctor in Dalton all followed up with plenty of tests that determined that he had five fractured ribs. “Painful, yes,” Ms. Painter wrote, “but not too bad for what he had just survived!” 

Ms. Painter called Mr. Rickett and the team at Logan’s, including managers Ken Keeler and Debbie Golden, “my heroes.” 

“We will never forget their generosity, compassion and willingness to jump ‘into the fire’ to save a man’s life,” Ms. Painter wrote. “I thank them from the bottom of my heart as does everyone in my family. Our county is blessed that Chandler has decided to pursue a life of public service, and it’s important to us that he be recognized for his selflessness. I pray no one ever needs him like we did, but if they do, there is no doubt that he will bless them as he did us. Dad is continuing to recover, but looks forward to the day that he can hug Chandler’s neck and thank him personally.” 

That day finally arrived when Mr. Wrinkle was able to hug the neck of Mr. Rickett as he was being honored as the 2016 Career Firefighter of the Year during the 39th annual Whitfield County Firefighter’s Appreciation Banquet held at the Dalton Golf & Country Club. 

“If it had not been for him knowing what to do, this person would not be here today. Chandler went above and beyond the call of duty,” said Battalion Chief Terry Warnix before presenting the award to Mr. Rickett at the banquet. 

In other awards handed out at the banquet, Engineer Chris Roberson was named Volunteer Firefighter of the Year, and Engineer Charles Blair received the First Responder of the Year award from Hamilton EMS. 

Receiving service awards were the following firefighters:
35 years – Lt. Robert Wilson
30 years – Battalion Chief Terry Warnix
25 years – Battalion Chief John Chester, Lt. Kent Cochran, and Capt. Neil Ratcliff
20 years – Lts. Todd Hegwood and Jason Mathis
15 years – Lt. Danny Adams
10 years – Lt. Jason Azbill and Engineers Charles Blair and Joey Splawn
5 years – Engineers Lee Coker, Robert Beavers, T.J. Floyd, and Cody Ruddell and Firefighter Darren Howard. 

Earlier at the banquet, outgoing Commission Chairman Mike Babb praised the firefighters for their efforts, noting “that I for one appreciate everything that the people in this room – be you a fireman, be  you a family supporter, be you the wife, or whoever, we know that there’s sacrifices to do what you do.” 

Mr. Babb said the firefighters deliver “a great service” to the community, “and on behalf of the commissioners, I’m going to thank you for that service.” 

He noted that at the 2015 banquet, he thanked the firefighters for their support of the SPLOST that has since provided badly needed equipment for the department. 

“Regardless of how many fire stations we have and how much good equipment we have and what we spend on that equipment,” Mr. Babb said, “without the people to perform and use that equipment, it’s all for naught. 

“And just as we’ve seen (with Mr. Rickett’s life-saving help), firemen are always firemen. Whether you’re at the station or not, you’re a fireman; you’re always protecting Whitfield County,” Mr. Babb said, “so on behalf of the Board of Commissioners and the grateful 104,000 residents of Whitfield County, thank you for the work that you do and God bless you and may you be safe in the future.”
In his annual review of the year, Chief O’Brien, who was attending his third banquet, said he appreciated the way the members of the department had welcomed him and his wife, Caren, into the fold since replacing long-time Chief Carl Collins in 2014. 

“I came from a large department,” Chief O’Brien said. “The larger you get, the more you lose the camaraderie and the friendship, and I have to say you guys accepted us and we really appreciate that.” 

The chief also thanked local voters for approving the SPLOST in 2015 that has provided much new equipment that will keep firefighters safer on the job but didn’t come cheap, including turnout gear and airpacks, four engines at a total cost of $1.5 million, and two ladder trucks (at a total cost of nearly $2 million), with the 75-foot ladder truck drawing a lot of looks from firefighters and their families while on display outside the banquet room. 

Chief O’Brien also noted that the Board of Commissioners approved 15 new firefighters in 2016, with plans to add more in the future as the department aims to lower the ISO rating and hence the insurance bills for local homeowners and business owners. 

The chief also noted that firefighters had accumulated 24,000 hours of training so far this year, according to Training Chief Russell Wilson, and the department handed out another 500 smoke detectors in 2016 after giving away about 600 in 2015.  

“Sometimes you can’t measure with a smoke detector, did we save a life?” Chief O’Brien said. “But we know when we got to bed at night, that some children and some families are safer with those smoke detectors because of the work that we’ve done.” 

Special guest Dennis Hewatt of the Shriners praised the first-year partnership between his organization and the Whitfield County Fire Department that wound up collecting $20,000 from local residents during the annual Boot Drive in September. 

Three-fourths of those donations, some $15,000, is going to help fund the new Burn Rehabilitation Unit at the Shriners’ burn hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Hewatt said. 

Lt. Chris West and Sam Hammontree headed up the Boot Drive for the fire department and said the remaining $5,000 raised during the Boot Drive will be used by the Whitfield County Fire Department to kick off a new program called “Santa in Uniform” that will provide $100 gift cards (increased to $125 thanks to the generosity of Walmart), photos with Santa, and a bicycle (courtesy of the Shriners) to 25 underprivileged children in the county school system. 

The night came to an emotional close when the fire department staff all came to the front of the banquet room to honor outgoing Coroner Bobbie Dixon, who is retiring in December after 24 years of service to the community. 

“Everybody knows she’s an incredible person,” Chief O’Brien said. “To a lot of the younger guys, she’s a grandmotherly figure. To the rest of us, she’s a motherly figure. Bobbie, we appreciate your service from 1992 to 2016. As I look back on the calls I’ve been on with you, none of them are fun when the coroner has to come out because her job is to determine the cause of an unfortunate death -  it’s a tough job. I’ve watched her from a distance. She goes to see the family, she talks with them, she hugs them, she cries with them, she gets involved. It’s not just work to her, it is a ministry. And I think this community has been blessed having you, Bobbie. This department has, because I think each and every one of us loves you like our own mothers. We appreciate you and really can’t say enough about it.” 

The department presented Ms. Dixon with a white helmet, typically a chief’s helmet. 

“Everybody in the department took time to sign it so that one day you can look back and reflect on all of us,” Chief O’Brien said. “Bobbie’s call sign on the radio is WCC1. To me and I think everybody in here, the position may get refilled, but Bobbie, you can’t be replaced. You will be WCC1 forever for all of us. We love you, and we appreciate the service you’ve given us.” 

An emotional Ms. Dixon  - who has called the firefighters “my boys” for years - came up and, with the help of Assistant Chief Randy Kittle, put on the helmet. “You don’t know how much I appreciate this,” she said. “If you don’t know, these are my boys. I want  you to know, I appreciate you. I hope I’ve done a good job – I’ve tried. This is my family – I love ’em.” 

“Bobbie, I think I can speak for everyone in the department that we love you, too,” Chief O’Brien said. “And we’re going to miss you. This doesn’t mean you have to go away. You’re always welcome. You know you are part of this department, and like the rest of them, you can retire, but that doesn’t mean you have to go away. We hope that you’ll keep sharing your love and visit with us. Don’t be a stranger!”