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Georgetown City Fire Department Georgetown, South Carolina |
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Chief Odell B. Avant (ret.) 1934 - 2008 |
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By Jason Lesley Former Georgetown Fire Chief Odell Avant took his final ride on a fire engine Tuesday. City Engine No. 12 bore his body to Pennyroyal Memorial Gardens following his funeral at Georgetown Church of God. Engine 12 was the last fire engine purchased during Chief Avant's 30-year career. "He was one of our city's favorite sons," said Georgetown Mayor Lynn Wood Wilson at the funeral. "On those stormy nights when a hurricane was coming, he would open the fire house and make us feel welcome. Chief Avant was one of a kind. "As you walk and ride around Georgetown, you will see Odell wherever you go. He was a visionary." Avant was named assistant chief of the Georgetown Fire Department in 1969 and two years later was named chief. Present Georgetown Fire Chief Joey Tanner remembered the day Chief Avant hired him. "That was 25 years ago," Tanner said. "Chief Avant asked me where I wanted to be in the future and I said, 'I want to be in your office as fire chief.' He thought about that for a minute and said, 'You can do it, and I will help you.' " Tanner said Avant had a knack for hiring good people. Nine former firefighters are working in leadership positions in fire departments today. There are four fire chiefs, four battalion fire chiefs and one assistant fire chief. "My friends," Tanner said. "That's leadership. It didn't matter who you were or what side of the tracks you were from, 'Mr. Chief' was on your side." Tanner said Avant loved to fish and to work on his tractor. He would disc a garden for anybody. "He was always giving to his community. He loved his city," Tanner said. Tanner remembered a conversation he had with Chief Avant. He remembered the chief saying: "Some say this city is not much. They say it smells. But it's home, and we're going to do everything we can to protect it." Tanner gave the former chief credit for most of the growth in the fire department. He presided over the construction of two fire stations and the purchase of four new engines. "He set forth the vision of a ladder truck," Tanner said. "He said, 'We're going to set this city up for the future.' and we bought an aerial platform truck. It's paid for itself many times over." On June 30, 1990, Avant retired after more than 30 years with the department. |
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Original Story as it appeared in the Georgetown Times October 21, 2008 (Reprinted with Permission) |