Southside getting new fire chief

Tim McKee

A new fire chief will take the reigns of the southside fire department effective Feburary first with the retirement of longtime chief Billy Witcher.  Tim McKee will take over as the new chief.  The 68 year old Witcher, was Southside’s first full-time fire chief. He served in that role for 14 years and spent a total of 33 years with the department as a paid employee and volunteer.  McKee has been a volunteer firefighter with the department for 14 years, since he was in high school, while also holding full-time jobs with the Rainbow City and Gadsden fire departments. McKee began his firefighting career as a junior firefighter with Southside, and once he graduated high school, he began working for Rainbow City. He worked there for five years, then moved on to the Gadsden Fire Department for six more years before coming back to Southside in August to be a police officer. McKee said he gained a lot of experience from his time in Rainbow City and Gadsden, where he rose to the rank of paramedic driver.