Meet Lexington’s newest junior fire chief, Reese Tumlinson

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — Reese Tumlinson is Lexington’s newest junior fire chief.

As a fifth-grade student at Millcreek Elementary School, 10-year-old Tumlinson was given the honorary title Monday by Fire Chief Jason Wells at a ceremony held at the school.

Tumlinson was presented with an official badge pinned to her new Lexington Fire Department uniform.

“My friends were cheering me on, and I’m excited to be the boss,” she said after the badge-pinning ceremony.

Wells said Tumlinson put together a “very thoughtful and creative” presentation that stood out. Her message is this year’s theme for Fire Prevention Week: “Fire Won’t Wait. Plan Your Escape!”

“You need a plan to get out of your house if there’s a fire,” said Tumlinson, who designed a colorful, detailed poster with multiple exit routes. Her drawing – which directs family members to meet up at a certain tree in their front yard — meshed well with her thorough, two-page essay. Millcreek’s staff picked her entry from among 75 fifth graders participating in the school’s contest.

The Junior Fire Chief program has been around for decades to serve as a fire education and prevention program for children in Fayette County. The title is given annually to a Fayette County fifth-grade student for a week.