Oct. 31—MOULTRIE, Ga. — Only when he had to did Kenny Hannon take any time off from his contribution to the task of firefighting and community protection in Moultrie.
Named 2011 Fire Chief of the Year by the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs, Hannon is remembered as one who remained devoted to the job, had kind and encouraging words for anyone and always looked for ways to save local taxpayers a dollar or two.
On Oct. 24, Hannon passed away at the age of 62. He had retired in 2018 from the Moultrie Fire Department after four decades of service.
Working side by side with Hannon for those same four decades — starting in 1978 — was Lamar Plymel. When Hannon retired after 28 years as Moultrie's fire chief, Plymel assumed the department's leadership until his own retirement at the end of 2019.
"I was the assistant chief," said Plymel. "( Chief Hannon) liked going to work.
"He came every day ... did not take much time off. He was devoted to his job. It was more than just a job."
"In my mind, he was just the perfect picture of a fire chief," said Jackie Gibbs, former Marietta Fire Chief who also served 40 years before retiring in 2017. "He cared so much for his community. He worked hard for Moultrie."
Gibbs knows first-hand what he's talking about from visiting the Moultrie department and getting a tour from Hannon on how things were done.
When not tending to the duties of the office, Plymel said Hannon would turn his attention to the classroom, instructing part-time at other departments in the state. Plymel said he and Hannon taught together, investigated fires together and of course worked fighting fires together.
"He was big on prevention, inspections," said Plymel. "He pushed that hard."
Thus, Hannon was also involved with the Georgia Firefighters Standards and Training Council.
"He was pretty progressive," said Plymel. "He was on top of things most of the time, made a lot of improvements and sought ways to get grants to save the taxpayers' money."
This was important, Plymel said, as it is costly to obtain new and up-to-date firefighting equipment. In all, Hannon obtained more than $800,000 for the department.
When the former chaplain for the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs, Randy Toms, published an autobiographical work called "Just a Fireman" in 2012, Hannon sent the author a handwritten note on how much he enjoyed it.
"He was quiet, humble, very knowledgable and quick to compliment," said Toms, now the mayor of Warner Robins. "He was at every service I preached. I hate to hear of his loss.
"He stands out. He was big and tall, so he had a presence, but he was so kind."
A big surprise awaited Hannon in 2011 with the recognition as the state Fire Chief of the Year. Plymel said he doesn't think Hannon was even aware he'd been nominated for the honor. For Hannon, Plymel said winning was more about an accumulation of service over the years and not just for that one particular year. Hannon's career also resulted in a lot of friendships in other departments throughout the state.
"It's a big honor," said Plymel. "Most fire chiefs never achieve that."
"I remember that well," said Toms. "He cared about his people."
So much so, Toms said, that Hannon's goal in firefighter training was for them to be able to fight a fire and then return home safely to their families.
This dedication led to Hannon's appointment as the state's vice president for the Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs, which made him the Georgia representative on the board of directors. This covers 10 states and Puerto Rico, and it is a division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
"He was always paying attention to what was going on," said Gibbs, adding that extended to the state and national level of fire protection. "This was a very important position. You had to be aware that fire services is varied in Georgia and policies have to reflect that diversity."
Whether it's setting standards for training through a council or representing the state on a regional board, Gibbs said you don't get paid for any of it.
"It's on your own time to stay involved," he said. "( Chief Hannon) was such an ambassador for Moultrie."
Gibbs said the legacy includes how Hannon set up fire stations for the annual Sunbelt Expo.
"It's not easy being a fire chief," he said. "You're trapped by budgets and politics a lot of the time. He negotiated through it to provide the best services. He did a superior job ... always polite and professional."
"It was his life for sure," said Plymel. "He kept working as an inspector part-time (after retirement until his health didn't allow it). He would not just sit around at home."
Services for Hannon, which will include a fire department honor guard, will be at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the Cobb Funeral Chapel. Visitation is Thursday, Nov. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. also at Cobb Funeral Chapel.
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