Moultrie Fire Chief Jeff Thibodeau gives retiring Assistant Fire Chief Lamar Plymel an original call whistle box that the city used to contact the fire department before cell phones — and phones in general — were so abundant.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — He may not have seen himself staying in the Moultrie Fire Department for 42 years, but when Lamar Plymel came back to it in 1977, he knew he didn’t want to leave. Now, at 66, he recognizes it’s time to open a new chapter.

Plymel, the former assistant fire chief, officially retired Nov. 30, receiving a recognition of service via resolution read by Mayor Bill McIntosh at Tuesday’s city council meeting.

“Whereas the mayor and city council desire to recognize Lamar Plymel for 42 years of dedicated service to the citizens of Moultrie and wish him a long and productive retirement,” McIntosh read. “Now therefore be it resolved by the mayor and council of the City of Moultrie that Lamar Plymel be and is hereby officially commended on this third day of December 2019 for his many years of loyal service.”

Born in 1953 in Brooks County, Plymel grew up on his father’s farm working with tobacco, watermelon and cantaloupes, to name a few. He moved to Moultrie in 1973, finishing out high school, and joined the fire department two years later.

“At the time that I started I was just looking for a job, but then after I got the job, I really enjoyed it,” he said.

His tenure wouldn’t last long, not the first time. Though Plymel enjoyed driving fire trucks, fighting fires and helping those affected, he had to answer a question in his heart: Is this really what he wanted to do? Is this what he truly enjoyed?

And so, he left in June 1977, working a bevy of construction jobs, but none was what he was looking for. He knew immediately after leaving the fire department that he missed it. Helping others was what he missed the most.

“Sometimes you meet people in a difficult circumstance,” he said. “Their house may have been on fire, but you want to help those people in their time of need. That was one of the better things about working there.”

A chance meeting with then-Chief Frank Bannister would bring him back into the fold.

“He said, ‘Hey. How would you like to come back to the fire department?’” Plymel reminisced. “I said, ‘I think I’d like that.’”

The chief called him later that night and asked, “Can you be there in the morning at 8 o’clock?” Of course, the answer was yes and on Nov. 14, 1977, Plymel was back as a firefighter.

Plymel loved the thrill of driving firetrucks and fighting fires, but 12 years after his start, he started hanging up his gear for a polo and slacks.

“The last 30 years I spent mostly doing office work,” he said. “Someone has to do [it] and you want to move up — you want a more responsible position.”

Current Fire Chief Jeff Thibodeau was glad that Plymel did get that experience, as it helped Plymel to mentor him. Plymel served as interim fire chief from mid-2018 to August 2019 when Thibodeau took the helm.

Thibodeau, a former Valdosta firefighter, said Valdosta and Moultrie couldn’t be handled the same way.

“Some things were the same, but there’s a lot of stuff that’s different,” Thibodeau said. “Just having him [Plymel] to say ‘What is this?’ or ‘How exactly does this work?’ was a big plus. The man knew his job backwards and forwards. If I had a question, he typically knew the answer.”

Thibodeau characterized Plymel as having a “wealth of knowledge.” After imparting all he can give, Plymel is sure the city is in good hands.

“I think Chief Thibodeau is going to do a fantastic job,” he said. “[And] I really think the city’s got good leadership, not only the city manager, but the department heads and everybody else that runs the city.”

With a hefty but fulfilling weight off his shoulders, the only thing left that Plymel wants to do now is “enjoy life a little bit.”

“If you work somewhere for 42 years, you do miss it, I know that,” he said. “[But] I don’t imagine I’ll get another job. I might get bored after a few months, but we’ll wait and see. I haven’t gotten to that point yet.”