Sparta fire chief ready to become member of local brotherhood

Last month, the City of Sparta hired on a new fire chief, Kevin Powers. The Expositor reached out to Chief Powers, and he was eager to share a bit of his story, objective, and passion for the career with the residents of Sparta and White County.

A third-generation firefighter, Powers served three decades in his hometown. He also had experience working for the Red Cross, and part of that included visiting fire stations. This is what caused Powers to realize he missed that sense of family you get from a team of firefighters. His son informed him that Sparta was looking for a new fire chief after Chief Kirk Young’s retirement. Feeling this was a perfect opportunity, Powers sent in his resume.

Though he has only been at the job a week, Chief Powers loves the sense of family the Sparta Fire Department has.

“With firefighters, you get that family feeling,” he said. “There is great staff at this department, and they all trust, and that’s what I love about this team. I’ve only been working a few days, so far, but they have made me feel like we are already a family. That matters a lot to me.”

Sparta, too, has been wonderful for Powers. He moved here years back when his son, and then later his daughter, attended Tennessee Tech University. He has only had fond experiences with the town itself, as well as the City of Sparta.

“The City of Sparta has been great, especially this early on,” he said. “Mayor Lowery told me when I was in the process ... he told me about the family atmosphere... They have made me feel like I’ve been in the family for years. They’re not just all business, they’re willing to have conversations - very professional, a good culture, but also willing to sit and have a talk.”

Chief Powers is optimistic about the future of the fire department, and he cannot wait to meet and see more here in Sparta. For him, being a firefighter is not just a career; it is a passion.

“I feel I was born for firefighting,” he said. “I don’t see myself leaving it anytime soon.”

When speaking with Chief Powers, the Sparta Fire Department was actually set to get a new truck that same day. He was eager to show it off, but he wanted to include the whole team as well, proving that is his biggest priority: the family of firefighting.