Frankie Smith, the longtime fire chief whose decades of service helped shape the Cornelia Fire Department, died Monday, July 27th.
For nearly half a century, Smith helped protect Cornelia while building a fire department capable of serving a growing community.
Smith began volunteering with the Cornelia Fire Department in 1968 at just 17 years old. He joined the department full time in 1972 and in April 1976, became fire chief; a position he would hold for more than 40 years.
By the time he retired, Smith had devoted nearly 45 years of full-time service to the city—and even longer when his teenage years as a volunteer are included.
Firefighting was not a childhood ambition for Smith. Born in Habersham County and raised in Banks County, he later admitted that he had no firm plans for his future as a teenager.
His path began when the father of one of his friends, who worked at the Cornelia Fire Department, invited him to become a volunteer when he was old enough. Smith accepted and soon discovered that the fire service had become his calling.
While already volunteering, Smith was stopped one evening by a Cornelia police captain who told him the fire chief wanted to speak with him. The chief offered Smith a full-time position.
Smith accepted and remained with the department for the rest of his working life.
During those decades, Smith watched Cornelia expand far beyond its traditional downtown center. The fire department grew with it, adding stations, equipment and personnel to meet the changing needs of the city.
“I’ve met a lot of fine people and watched the city grow,” Smith said in an interview about his career. “The whole thing was downtown, and I watched it spread out.”
A Station Bearing His Name
One of the most visible pieces of that growth is Cornelia Fire Station North. Smith advocated for a fire station in the northern portion of the city for at least a decade.
The city purchased the former Regions Bank building in 2010 and transformed it into a functioning fire station. When the facility officially opened in June 2016, city leaders surprised Smith by dedicating the station in his honor.
A plaque bearing his name was unveiled during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Cornelia City Manager Donald Anderson said the recognition honored both Smith’s decades of service and his determination to see the north station completed.
“He really was the motivator behind getting that station built,” Anderson said at the time.
Smith said the honor came as a complete surprise.
“It meant a lot,” he said. “I was blessed with all my firemen showing up, and then a lot of surrounding departments had people come. And my family was here—that meant a lot.”
Under Smith’s leadership, the Cornelia Fire Department grew to include 11 full-time firefighters, approximately nine part-time firefighters and four volunteers by 2016.
But Smith’s influence extended well beyond buildings, fire engines and staffing numbers. He trained and mentored generations of firefighters, many of whom went on to careers throughout Northeast Georgia’s fire service and public-safety community.
Generations of Firefighters
Former Clarkesville Fire Chief Jerry Palmer grew up around Smith while Palmer’s father worked at the Cornelia Fire Department. Palmer later worked for Smith and described him as a mentor and almost a second father.
“You won’t find any man around the county who can run the department and keep up with changing times and politics and stay with one government agency for 44 years,” Palmer said. “That’s really a testament to the kind of person he is and the fire chief he’s been.”
Palmer said it would be nearly impossible to count the firefighters who passed through Cornelia and continued into successful public-safety careers because of Smith’s influence.
“The list goes on and on and on,” he said.
Smith’s example also shaped the career of his son, Brian Smith.
Brian grew up around the fire station, became an explorer at 14 and joined the Cornelia department as a volunteer at 18. He later worked in law enforcement before becoming an investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
“My whole career is basically from his molding,” Brian said. “He’s been a role model for me in my life and my family as well.”
Serving Through Tragedy and Change
Smith’s career included countless emergency calls, but one remained especially difficult for him: the 1977 Toccoa Falls Dam disaster.
Nearly 40 people died when the dam failed, sending water through the community below. Smith was among the emergency personnel who responded and later described it as one of the most difficult calls of his career.
He also valued the quieter responsibilities of the job. Among his favorite duties were visiting local schools, teaching children about fire safety and meeting the residents and merchants he served.
“I’ve just enjoyed meeting people around town, meeting new people that have come into town, and talking with merchants,” Smith said. “People have been a blessing.”
More than 100 firefighters, friends, relatives and community members attended a retirement reception for Smith at the Cornelia Community House. Former firefighters returned to exchange stories with the chief who had helped guide their careers.
Smith said the turnout showed him that people still remembered and appreciated his decades of service.
“It made me feel great,” he said. “It’s great people thought something of me after all these years.”
Retirement gave Smith more time with his wife, Ellon Ruth Smith, their son Brian Smith, and their two granddaughters, Rachel and Mary Ellen. He enjoyed camping, fishing, gardening, woodworking and spending time with his family.
Smith’s influence continues through the department he helped build, the north fire station bearing his name and the many public servants who learned by following his example.
Frankie Smith once said the people of Cornelia had been a blessing to him. After a lifetime devoted to their protection, many in the community would say the feeling was mutual.
Funeral arrangements had not been announced as of publication. Habersham News will update this story when additional information becomes available.
