City honors fire chief on eve of his retirement
Felix White has spent nearly three decades in the Cedartown Fire Department.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The city of Cedartown hosted a retirement reception for Fire Chief Felix White at Cedartown City Hall on Thursday, March 30, before his official retirement from the city on March 31. The following is a special article from the city about White’s time with the fire department.
If a firefighter’s helmet could talk, what a story it would tell us. It would describe the trainings and the tests. It would recount the adrenaline filled moments of pulling someone to safety with the choking heat of a fire at your back. It would describe the struggle to bring a steady calm to a scene of chaos and panic. It would explain the difficulty of how to quickly provide critical medical care but still remember to slowly speak words of comfort.
It was in September of 1994 when Felix White, a wet-behind-the-ears rookie, placed a city of Cedartown firefighter’s helmet on his head. He didn’t know it at the time, but he and that helmet would set off on an adventure together, one that would lead into a 28-and-ahalf-year career.
White, as humble as they come, probably wouldn’t admit it, but between him and the helmet, they’ve saved a lot of lives and property in Cedartown. The helmet’s changed over the years — from rookie to engineer, lieutenant to captain, and finally to chief. On Thursday (March 30), White will step into a new adventure called retirement, and the helmet will go with him of course.
White was — in his words — “just looking for something to do” when he went to check out a volunteer firefighting training session at Station 4 in 1992. “My cousin had signed up to volunteer and so I thought I’d go and hang out,” he recalled. His quest for something to do ended that day. “My interest was piqued and I guess you could say it took off from there,” he said with a little chuckle. “The rest is history.”
When asked about his favorite part of the job, his answer might surprise you. No, it’s not using an axe to vent a roof or the satisfaction of dousing a flame. It’s a modest response in a line of work filled with daily unknowns: “You know, I like coming in in the mornings, getting a cup of coffee from the kitchen and chatting with the guys. It’s the camaraderie at the station that I have really enjoyed.”
But now, if you ask him about the most memorable event during his career, the answer is a little more predictable. “The Zartic fire,” he stated almost immediately. Chief was off that day and was walking out of the house with his wife and daughter when he heard the tone.
“We had to take my daughter to a doctor’s appointment that day, and when I heard the tone out, I told my wife that we probably needed to drive separately.” His intuition was right, and after they finished with the medical appointment, White hurried back into town. “I could see the smoke driving back from Rome and I knew it was going to be a long day. We all worked, units from all over, into the night to extinguish that fire,” White recalled.
White has seen many changes over the years. Different procedures and trainings have been implemented, upgraded gear and new requirements have been established, but the one change he’s most proud of relates to firefighter safety. “There’s been a definite shift in that regard, and it is one that was very important,” he explains.
“It used to be that years ago, dirty turnout gear was a kind of badge of honor or bragging right. We now know that leaving gear dirty with soot and smoke is a real health hazard for our firefighters. All those carcinogens sticking around can cause health problems, like cancer. So there’s been a big push in our department, and everywhere really, to have clean turnout uniforms,” Chief explained.
That change can be seen in many procedures relating to personal safety. Firefighters at the city now have two pairs of turnout gear and the fire hall is equipped with a specialized washing machine. The machine looks similar to a typical washing machine but provides the extra cleaning power and agitation needed to remove harmful chemicals from sooty turnout uniforms.
At one time, city firefighters would cart their dirty gear to Rome to have them specially washed; now, they can clean them without leaving the station — with an extra pair to have at the ready. “I like the fact that I will be leaving the station and leaving them with the ability to take care of themselves properly.”
Of course, the only change hasn’t been limited to fire personnel safety. Another major transition has been in the volume of response calls. “When I first began, we ran 385 calls each year. We’re running around 1,800 calls every year now,” White said. In the 1990s the fire station didn’t handle medical calls, only fire calls. That’s changed and 70-percent of the department’s response is medical.
Firefighters go through intense medical training. They are typically one of the first, if not the first, departments on the scene of an accident or medical trauma. The bright red rescue truck hardly stays put in the bay these days. Paid for by Polk County, the department’s rescue truck is the best of the best. White explained that they were able to design it, including all the necessary tools (and fast access to those tools) needed to protect and sustain life.
White has been around to navigate all of those changes and transitions and feels confident that he’s leaving the department in good hands. Kyle Watters, a nearly 24-year veteran of the department, will be stepping into the role of chief as White makes his exit. “The one thing I would like to tell our firefighters and ones who are maybe interested in the career, is to get all the training you can. You’ve got to know the enemy you’re battling against and the only way to win that battle is with education. Go for it whenever you are given the chance.”
As White steps away from the fire and rescue battlefield, his mind is on family. He is looking forward to spending time with his wife and two children. He’s got visions of time outdoors, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air, planting flowers, puttering around by the pool and in the garage and maybe, just maybe getting back into half-marathons. Though he’s quick to say his wife is really the runner and he just likes tagging along.