Published: April 08, 2009 06:55 pm      

Gallman retires

Whitfield-Catoosa County chief forest ranger senior Jimmy Gallman retired March 1 after 30 years and seven months service with the Georgia Forestry Commission.

Gallman began his career with the Georgia Forestry Commission in Pickens County on Aug. 7, 1978, working for 15 months before transferring to Whitfield County as a forest patrolman on Nov. 1, 1979. He was promoted to chief ranger of Whitfield County on April 1, 1986, and then chief ranger senior in 1989. On April 1, 2006, the Whitfield County unit was combined with the Catoosa County unit and he was promoted to chief ranger senior of both counties.

Gallman says during his career he helped fight approximately 5,000 wildfires ranging from one-one hundredth of an acre to 1,200 acres across North Georgia. The largest was a 200,000-acre fire at Los Padres National Forest in California in July 1985 which cost more than $1 million per day to fight. Gallman also assisted approximately 400 to 500 landowners do prescribed burning on their property ranging from one-tenth of an acre to 300 acres.

During his career, Gallman participated in hundreds of school programs, teaching students the importance of trees and the role they play in our lives. He planted thousands of seedlings and saplings, and assisted Smokey Bear hundreds of times at schools and churches and other public places throughout Dalton and Whitfield County.

Gallman said it has been a pleasure to serve the people of Whitfield County and he has met and worked with thousands of nice people throughout that he would otherwise not have known.

He says a special thanks to all of the firemen with the Whitfield County, Dalton and Cohutta fire departments who helped make his job easier.

Now that he is retired, Gallman plans to enjoy gardening, beekeeping, metal detecting, coon hunting and baby-sitting his twin 6-year-old grandsons, Noah and Braeden.