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SPRINGVILLE -- Residents of Springville said goodbye to the city's longtime fire chief. Chief Phil Whitney died unexpectedly on Oct. 28 and was remembered as someone who loved to be a firefighter.
Whitney has been the fire chief for the past 24 years in Springville; in fact, he is the only full-time fire chief Springville has ever had.
It was an impressive final tribute for Chief Phil Whitney on Monday, as firefighters from his own department joined his family at the Springville Evergreen Cemetery.
There was no question as to how Chief Whitney's casket would be transported to the cemetery: atop a 1937 fire truck -- the first fire truck of the Springville City Fire Department.
Springville Public Safety Director Scott Finlayson said, "That fire truck is very special to the whole fire department. It has been lovingly restored several times, and it is a keepsake of the department."
A major accomplishment for Chief Whitney was seeing the construction and completion of Station 41 -- the new fire station for Springville this summer.
But to his colleagues, his caring service was what he will be remembered for. He joined as a volunteer in 1977 and served as chief since 1985.
Finlayson said, "He is the only fire chief this city has ever known, and as a full-time fire chief and has done a marvelous job. Everyone in the public safety department -- from the police officers to the fire fighters to EMS personnel -- love him, and he is leaving a huge hole in the public safety department that will be difficult to fill."
In addition to Whitney's firefighters in Springville, fire departments from throughout the area sent engines and firefighters to take part in the funeral.
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
