City's fire chief announces retirement

"I've been working since I was 13. Everybody else is enjoying retirement. I'm going to try it." Gaffney Fire Chief Steve Blanton has announced he will retire June 13.

Blanton, who has been fire chief since Sept. 10, 1998, told his firefighters on Tuesday of his decision.

"I'm just going to enjoy the rest of my life," Blanton said Wednesday. "I've been working since I was 13. Everybody else is enjoying retirement. I'm going to try it."

During Blanton's tenure, the City of Gaffney added two fire substations, purchased two engine trucks and a ladder truck, increased staffing from 18 to 36, received numerous grants and improved the level of training for firefighters.

"I've enjoyed working for the city," Blanton said. "The people here at the fire department have put up with me and supported me.... We've got a lot of good people."

The 60-year-old chief is planning to relax some, work on classic cars, and travel with his wife, Elizabeth, whom many people know as "Miss E.B.," a retired gifted and talented teacher for Cherokee County schools.

The couple's daughter, Stephanie, is completing a doctorate in clinical pharmacy at the University of New York at Buffalo with plans of working in cancer research. Blanton hopes to visit her and her husband, Edward, who is a Methodist minister, once he retires.

Gaffney City Administrator James Taylor said he has begun the process of reviewing the chief's job description and the city will begin advertising for the post in the next few days.

"The fire department has grown tremendously under Blanton's leadership," Taylor said. "A major upgrade to equipment, the building of two new substations and the hiring of additional personnel are all evidence of the growth of the fire department under his leadership."