Saluda Fire & Rescue's 1st Black fire chief dies in Hendersonville car crash

On April 20, a celebration of life service will be held for former Saluda Fire & Rescue fire chief Tim Thompson, who was killed in a car crash in Hendersonville on March 21. He was 55.

Thompson was a Spartanburg, South Carolina, native and was a firefighter for Saluda Fire & Rescue from 1986-2003, serving as its chief from 2001-03. According to his obituary, Thompson was the first Black man to serve as fire chief in Saluda.

According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Thompson was hit as he was pulling his vehicle out of a private drive onto Sugarloaf Road on March 21.

"Mr. Thompson was pulling out from a private drive onto Sugarloaf Road. He did fail to yield and was struck by another vehicle. There were no charges filed in this case," Sgt. Michael Owens of the Highway Patrol told the Times-News on April 11.

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Thompson's daughter, Sierra Brewer, said her father was ejected from his vehicle and life-flighted to Mission Hospital in Asheville. She said her father died during the flight to Mission. She said he loved being a firefighter and loved saving people's lives.

"He loved to laugh and loved to make you laugh," she said. "He loved being a hero."

"He will be remembered for his love for his children, family and friends," his son, Derrick Thompson, said.

Saluda Fire & Rescue Deputy Chief Zach Pace said Thompson was one of his first fire chiefs when he joined the department in 2001.

"He was a great firefighter and led by example. He would never ask you to do something that he wasn’t willing to do," Pace said. "I learned a lot about firefighting and how hard of a job it was from Tim in those days. He was a big advocate for training and knowing how to do the job proficiently."

The celebration of life service will be 2-3 p.m. April 20 at McCreery Park, 64 Greenville St., in Saluda. Thompson is survived by his wife, Kimberly Hobbs Thompson; his two children, Thompson and Brewer (and her husband Derrick Frazier Jr.) and his four grandchildren.

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Saluda Fire & Rescue's 1st Black fire chief dies in Hendersonville car crash