A personnel order was issued, appointing John Lumsden, Chief Emeritus, for the White County Fire Department. It was a rare honorary title given to retired Fire Chiefs for meritorious service to their community. The honor is reserved for those retired chiefs with distinguished careers, regardless of a paid position or volunteer. The title represents contributions made that set them apart from their peers.
Impact on community
It was evident the impact Battalion Chief John Lumsden had made not just on the community he had served for 32 years but on the people he had worked alongside. The White County Fire Department hosted a ceremony on Thursday, January 23, to thank Lumsden for his many years of service.
Trustworthiness, dependability, and consistency were attributed to Lumsden, who humbly stood as one person after another and came to share who Chief Lumsden was to them and why he would be missed.
Lumsden described his wife Kay as his biggest supporter over the years. “I couldn’t have done all this without her,” Chief Lumsden shared as he thanked his two children, Jesse (29) and Avery (27) as well. He said his children often rode to calls on the fire truck with him.
David Murphy, Director of Public Safety, who has worked with Chief Lumsden for over 20 years, described, “Tonight, we are here to honor John Lumsden and his service – 32 years as a volunteer firefighter. You can’t replace that. The days of volunteers are over, but these rural communities across the United States, especially here in North Georgia, are built on the foundations of volunteers.”
Recognition
Lumsden was given several awards, including a chrome fireman’s axe and a framed picture of the many patches of the White County Fire Department over the last 32 years.
“I’m very glad that we are to this day and that he has come through it with only minor injuries,” Kay Lumsden said of her husband. “He has really enjoyed being a firefighter, but it has been very demanding. We missed him at many special family events, and I always worried about him. I am happy to move on to whatever is next in our lives.”
Associate Head of School at Rabun Gap Paige Spivey echoed what so many had already said of Chief Lumsden, “Mr. Lumsden is so beloved by colleagues, students, by the team he supervises taking care of our grounds and buildings. His security expertise is a blessing to us as a residential community. He is one of those people who gets it done – and gets it done with a smile on his face. It is his core goal to help people.” Lumsden serves as Director of Facilities at Rabun Gap.
His daughter Avery expressed her appreciation for the community. “At some point, most of you have babysat for Jesse and me,” she said, often choking back tears. “My dad would be called to a fire and let us out at the end of the driveway of one of our friends’ home and say, ‘Go knock on the door and tell them I’ll be back as soon as I can.'”
10-7 call
The ceremony concluded with a prayer over the Lumsden family for their life of service and the road ahead of them.
The Chief gave his final farewell with a 10-7 “out of service” call.
“You cannot replace a John Lumsden,” Murphy added. “He will be greatly missed.”
RELATED: White County to honor service by fire Battalion Chief John Lumsden
