Battalion Chief Kevin McDermott was honored for 40 years of service to the Whitfield County Fire Department
Lt. Kerry Robinson
Lt. Chris West
Lt. Dennis Arnold
Battalion Chief Chris Dempsey
Lt. Mike Murphree
Engineer Oliver Nunez
Tyler Warnix was selected as Career Firefighter of the Year
Kade West was selected as Firefighter of the Year
In ordinary times, the Whitfield County Fire Department honors its members each November at the annual Firefighter’s Banquet at the Dalton Golf & Country Club.
Of course, these are far from ordinary times, but even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the department managed to find a way to honor its members, holding the 43rd annual banquet virtually through the use of the internet and Zoom.
“We wanted to recognize our employees even though we could not meet together,” Fire Chief Ed O’Brien said.
Tyler Warnix was selected as Career Firefighter of the Year, while Kade West was named Firefighter of the Year (given to the top pay-per-call member of the department).
Receiving awards for significant years of service were the following.
40 years – Battalion Chief Kevin McDermott
30 years – Lt. Dennis Arnold, Battalion Chief Chris Dempsey, Lt. Kerry Robinson, and Lt. Chris West
25 years – Lt. Darrin Burnette and Lt. Mike Murphree
10 years – Eng. Allen Gallman
5 years – Lt. Garner Hall and engineers Christian Chadwick, Justin Hutcherson, Oliver Nunez, and Jon Wakefield.