Pine fire chief moving to S.C.

Sept. 22--Pine Township's fire chief will be going from volunteer to paid firefighter on Monday.

Chris Holmes stepped down from his nine-year tenure as chief at the department's business meeting at the Pine fire station on Tuesday; he's been a township firefighter a total of 17 years, he added.

"I read a very emotional resignation letter. It was really hard to get through," Holmes said. "After that, I came to the truck bays and there were 75 to 100 people waiting there to congratulate me. ... They had a big party for me and I was really emotional about it."

On Thursday, 33-year-old Holmes headed to Pawleys Island, S.C., where on Monday he begins his career with Midway Fire Rescue.

Holmes is married to Carrie Holmes, a nurse who works from home for an insurance company. They have a 17-month-old daughter, Hadley. His wife and daughter will join him after the sale of their Pine home closes.

Pawleys Island is a tourist destination with a large population. "Anywhere where there's beautiful sunshine and beaches, there's a lot of traffic accidents and water rescues. People are pulled out to the ocean with rip currents," he said. "Hotels and beach houses catch fire as well," Holmes said. Midway has "62 paid firefighters on staff. They have three fire stations. They run 3,000 calls per year."

Holmes made the connection with Midway after getting married and vacationing in Pawleys Island with his wife's family, who have a condominium there, he said.

The past two years, "I've been riding with them ... on the truck to see how it is and how they operated," Holmes said of Midway. "Obviously, I was very interested. In April, they had a test and I took the test and they offered me a job in July."

Midway Assistant Chief James Crawford was formerly the assistant fire chief in Pittsburgh. When Bradley Holmes -- Chris' brother -- died after injuries resulting from a fire in 2008, which was heavily publicized as a call for improved fire safety, Crawford "came to the hospital every day and sat with my family," he said.

A veteran firefighter and pioneer in training rapid intervention teams, Crawford also taught Pine firefighters better techniques for fire-accident prevention and rescue, Chris Holmes said. "He'd always mention my brother in his teaching. He helped us out up here."

A bronze statue of Brad Holmes' likeness in his gear stands in the department's courtyard, which was designed when firefighters moved their headquarters from the township building to the former Grove City Rescue Squad.

"If it wasn't for Brad, none of this would have happened, and I wouldn't have met Jim Crawford," Chris Holmes said. "He'd be so proud of me right now."

Holmes will not have rank with Midway. "I'm just going to be a firefighter. I'm taking it easy," he said, chuckling. However, "There will be a whole bunch of different things I'll be doing with ambulance, fire, ladder truck." Holmes will work shifts that are 24 hours on and 48 hours off; he left his position with Grove City schools as a groundskeeper.

"I'm thrilled for him. Being a paid firefighter is something he always wanted to do since he was in high school. He got the opportunity and I'm glad he took it," said Jeff Badger, Grove City fire chief. "More power to him, that's great."

"It's a little bit shocking to us, I guess," added Joe Holmes, Chris' father, who was his son's assistant fire chief until last year.

"He's been a chief and everything. It was kind of hard of the whole department. We've become a real knit group when we're together that long," he said.

However, the fire company is also very supportive. "Everyone says, 'Okay, we got a vacation home to go to. You better get a big enough house,'" Joe Holmes stated, chuckling.

Pine firefighters made Holmes a lifetime member. "I'll always be welcome there and can go on calls when I come home to visit. I'm excited," he said. "With my brother and everything -- I don't know how to say it -- it just makes me feel really good. I mentioned how much (Brad's death) has had an impact on me, my family, the fire department and the community."

"It's something that will never be forgotten in this area," Badger added. "Every time you go out, it's something you have to think about."

According to Pine's bylaws, Hipps will automatically move from assistant chief to chief with Holmes' resignation. "Then they'll have to decide who is going to be assistant chief. There's no set time," Holmes said.

"It's going to be a transition for the fire department. Chris has taken them to a different level," Badger noted.

"We've done a lot more training than we ever had ... since Chris has been in there, especially after we lost Brad," their father said. "The more training you have, the better you are."

In addition to its rapid intervention team, Pine firefighters have been certified in water rescue and in December became the first certified advanced rescue company in the region of EMMCO West -- which oversees emergency services in seven counties. The accomplishment took two years to finish; in March, Pine was recognized among its peers at EMMCO's symposium in Erie.

"It's a big deal. It means our training is above and beyond the standard fire company," Chris Holmes said in February. "We carry equipment you wouldn't normally carry, like a plasma cutter; it hooks up to air and electricity and cuts through metal."

"Lately, we had grain- bin rescue (training)," his father added.

Joe Holmes has faith that Hipps will make a good chief, adding that Hipps had prior experience as an assistant chief in Clearfield. "He was captain when I was assistant chief and has been assistant chief this year (for Pine)."

"There will be a break-in period for the new chief, which always is," Badger added. "I'm sure Levi will do a good job."

Mostly, Joe Holmes and his wife, Debbie Holmes, will miss their only grandchild.

"We'll be on FaceTime a lot (a video conference-call function by Mac)," he said. "We'll be going down there to visit."

Leaving home "will really be tough," Chris Holmes said. "We're uprooting and leaving our friends and family here. But both of our families are very happy for us. Everyone's proud of me and wishes me well."

After serving since he was a teenager as a volunteer firefighter, making a full-time career out of fighting fires "is a huge accomplishment for me personally," he said. "I'm excited. It's been a dream job forever and it's finally coming together for me."

Published Sept. 12, 2015, in Allied News. Pick up a copy at 201 A Erie St., Grove City.

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