After 28 years of service, Captain Chris Adams is hanging up his fire hat.
"It’s a family away from family. I always knew that Lynchburg Fire Department was where I wanted to be," said Adams.
His passion, ignited by a fire inside at a young age, was to be just like the man who inspired him to become a firefighter in the first place.
"I lost my dad when I was 16. I always looked up to him. He inspired me since I was a kid," said Adams.
His firefighting dad would bring little Chris to work with him all the time.
Like his dad, Adams has been pretty good at his profession, rising through the ranks to become Captain.
During his service, he has received a Lifetime EMS Achievement award, the 2019 Governor’s EMS award and many more.
"I’ve been blessed with a safe and healthy career. I still feel like I’m somewhat of a young guy. I feel like I can pick up and move on to do something else," said Adams.
Leaving what he loves is hard, he says, but satisfying.
"This week's been pretty tough. And trying to figure out how to figure out how to separate yourself from that life if you’ve never been in the fire service there is no way I can even sit here and give you Cliff Notes versions of what it’s like. I truly miss what I did. It’s been a wild ride," said Adams.
Still, Adams has a busy retirement planned. In this next chapter he wants to spend more time with family, work on his family’s farm, expand his trucking business, and get to work on a few passion projects.