Revered former fire chief dies after long battle with cancer

Ronnie Bales

The heart and soul of the Keavy Volunteer Fire Department was laid to rest Tuesday.

Ronnie Bales, who helped found the department in 1971, lost his second battle with cancer, passing away last Friday.

Bales was chief of the fire department for 42 years. In addition, he served as president of the Laurel County Alliance of Fire Chiefs for 20 years and president of the Laurel County Fire Alliance.

“Whether it was the Laurel County Fiscal Court, the 911 board or other agencies, all of the departments in Laurel County knew if they had issues with one of the agencies, Ronnie would be a mediator and try to resolve it,” said Letch Day, who has served with Bales on the Keavy Fire Department since 1985.

Day said he counted himself fortunate that when he came into the department, Bales was there to mentor him.

Day was coming home after serving with the military in Georgia. At the same time, he had joined the local volunteer fire department.

“I remember him asking if I could fight fires,” Day said. “I gave him a description of what I had been doing and his response was, ‘We’ll teach you.’”

Day said it was like that with anyone who came to Keavy and expressed a desire to serve with the department and had a willingness to learn.

“His philosophy was that if anyone joined the department and was willing to learn, he would take you in and teach you,” Day said.

Melva Boggs Pearce, a member of the neighboring Lily Fire Department that frequently aided and covered for one another, said Bales was one of the most personable people around, but was all business when on the scene of a fire or wreck.

“Ronnie had the attitude that there was a time to kick your feet up and there was a time to be business like,” Pierce said. “When it was time to be business like, he wanted to take care of business.”

Day added for Bales, taking care of business meant being out on the scene, leading his firefighters even when he was facing his second bout with cancer. If Keavy was out on a fire, Bales was standing by at the truck, running the pumps. In addition to supplying water to fight the fire, he could be found supplying bottles of water to help keep his firefighters hydrated.

Day said it was only within the last month that Bales had been unable to come to meetings or respond to calls.

As part of the funeral, Day said firefighters presented Bales’ family with his helmet and let it be known that there will never be a radio unit number 200 with the Keavy Fire Department.

“If somebody asks who is the chief of the Keavy Fire Department, it is Ronnie Bales,” Day said. “Those are shoes that will never be filled.”

Bales’ family asks that any memorial donations be made to Tri-County Hospice or the Keavy Volunteer Fire Department.