Fire Wire - Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services

The Fire Wire
Page 5
Chief Prather Walks in the Fight Against Cancer
Cherokee County Assistant Fire Chief, Tim Prather,
recently participated in the Relay for Life in Pickens
County.
The American Cancer Society Relay for Life is a lifechanging
event that gives everyone in communities
across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of
people who have battled cancer, remember loved
ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At
Relay, teams of people camped out at a local high
school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or
running around a track or path. Each team is asked
to have a representative on the track at all times
during the event. Because cancer never sleeps,
Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.
Cherokee County Assistant Fire Chief, Tim Prather,
holds his certificate for receiving the “Most Individual
Paper Clips.”
According to Chief Prather, “I exceeded my goal. My
goal was 100 laps and I completed 102 laps. One
lap was approximately 1,627 feet, so Chief Prather
walked a total distance of over 31 miles. I began at 2
o’clock on Saturday with 10 lap blocks and approximately
30 minute breaks in between. I completed 60
by midnight. However, sometime around 3 am, I had
refigured and realized that I could not complete the
goal by the deadline by 6 o’clock Sunday morning.
So, the last two blocks had to be increased to 15
laps with only a 15 minute break,” added Prather.
Chief Prather completed lap 100 at 5:47 Sunday
morning, only 13 minutes shy of the 6 o’clock deadline.
Hi total walk time was just over 9 hours.
Cherokee County firefighter, Tim Milburn, also participated in the event and completed 50 laps. “We sat
down for approximately 45 minutes and had a hard time getting back up. Some of us dozed off for a few
minutes. Sunday was a bad day. I was hurting pretty bad in my calves and feet. But, I did not blister. I carried
several changes of socks and rotated shoes between blocks to prevent the blistering. But, the aching, I
could not prevent”, continued Prather.
During each lap, team members were to pick up a paper clip to keep up with the amount of laps completed.
Chief Prather received the award for “Most Individual Paper Clips” during an awards program last week.
Prather also said, “Overall, it was a blast. Our team is already looking forward to next year's Relay for Life
now that we know what to expect. I believe our team will also receive the award for the most "team" laps
walked. I would like to thank the local fire department union for their donation in sponsoring my participation
in this walk. As we all know, it does go to a good cause. “