DANSVILLE, Mich. — Fire Chief Tim Whipple died Saturday after suffering a heart attack while camping with friends and family.
Whipple, 55, served the Ingham Township Fire Department for 35 years. He spent the last nine as acting chief.
“He was a hard worker, he was respected, he was a good teacher, good listener and he was … he was a good man,” Delhi Charter Township Fire Chief Brian Ball told WLNS.
Whipple leaves behind his wife of 34 years and two sons, who are also firefighters.
“He’s probably one of the first guys to go through a door and one of the last guys to come out,” resident Larry Arnett said.
“You have leaders, you have managers and then you have Tim … if Tim went into a burning building, they would follow him without question, they trusted him … he was … I mean he was their chief,” Ball said.