Cherokee Honors Retiring Firemen

More than 300 family members, friends and co-workers attended the Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services’ Retirement Dinner that was held Saturday night at the Northside Cherokee Conference Center located at The Bluffs in Canton to honor 15 employees who recently retired.

Tim Cavender, Public Information Officer for the Fire Department, welcomed everyone to the event and later asked Ken May, Senior Minister with Antioch Christian Church, to give the invocation. Following the invocation, the Cherokee County Fire Explorer’s Color Guard, made the presentation of colors. After the evening meal, the keynote speaker, Johnny Weaver, was introduced.

 One of the highlights of the evening came when the retirees were asked to come forward and share some of their stories of the fire department with members of the audience. 

Cherokee County Fire Chief, Tim Prather, presented the fifteen retirees with a bugle award. The bugle or speaking trumpet, is a reference to a megaphone like device that was used in the early days of the fire service.

At the conclusion of the awards ceremony, former Cherokee County Fire Chief, Raymond Gunnin, came forward and thanked everyone for their support. The recently appointed new chief, Tim Prather, also thanked everyone to their commitment to the fire service.  He also thanked the Board of Commissioners for recommending him for this new position.

-Tim Cavender, spokesman for the Cherokee Fire and Emergency Services