Herman Lathers, the first full-time fire chief in the history of Karns Fire Department (KFD), had no aspirations of being chief, he just wanted to be the best firefighter he could be.
Lathers joined the KFD in 2018 as a firefighter. The natural leader hit all his promotion milestones and was named fire chief in August to coincide with the opening of the new KFD headquarters in Hardin Valley.
“It’s an honor to be selected as the first full-time fire chief of Karns Fire Department, but I don’t think that takes away from all the former chiefs we’ve had. It is an honor to be the first in the new building who is around 24/7 for the guys. That helps a lot with the cohesiveness of the teams, and I think the community appreciates knowing there’s a full-time fire chief here.”
Lathers said he does not have many changes in mind, “just to build on what has already been set in stone.”
He said as chief, it’s important to lead by example and have good communication skills (a skillset he had to learn as a natural introvert). He’s big on accountability and flexibility.
Lathers has not had an easy go of life. He survived osteosarcoma as a child. It took him five years of treatment from radiation to chemotherapy to bone marrow transplants, but he regained his health and hit the football field at 15.
He recounts how he was unable to get up off the floor when he was 10. His grandmother called 911. A fire truck was the first to arrive. The personnel were jovial with him, putting him at ease right away. When they took him outside he was smitten by the fire truck, the lights, the crisp uniforms and the attitude of the personnel. He knew he wanted to be a firefighter from that moment.
Lathers went on to play middle linebacker for the University of Tennessee, but still he had a hard row to hoe with one injury after another.
“I had IP, that’s a long word meaning my blood platelets were low. I had to have a test every Friday. If they were low I got a blood transfusion. By Saturday if they were fine, I could play; if not, I couldn’t play. We found out my spleen was the cause and removed it. I hurt my ankle, my shoulder, and tore up my hips. I asked my chaplain, Roger Woods, why me? He said ‘Why not you? God chooses his strongest soldiers for his toughest battles. God is only using you as an example to minister to the world.’”
Lathers continued, saying, “Most things in my life have been tests, and tests give you testimony.
“Storms are necessary but they don’t last. Life is full of seasons that last a day, a week, a month, or years. Know that the season has to change. We just have to weather the season.
“Like Karns Fire Department, we have weathered the seasons and continue to grow.”
Info: KarnsFire.org
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: ‘Vol for Life’ is first full-time chief at Karns Fire Department
