By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
Today the city of Taylor Mill will say an official goodbye to their Fire Chief, General Fernbach.
Even though, at 45, he is still a young man to be retiring, Fernbach is in a fight for his life with serious health problems, and he needs to spend his time concentrating on finding a cure for his brain cancer.
Nevertheless, Fernbach has overseen the entire project of the brand new firehouse being constructed next to the city building.
“It is amazing, and I am very happy for the citizens of Taylor Mill and the firefighters,” he said. “I am glad I had a positive impact on it. A lot of credit goes to the commissioners and the mayor, and it’s going to be a great thing for everybody. It’s very forward thinking, and will support the community well into the future.”
Fernbach has wanted to be a fireman since he was in kindergarten.
He was raised by his grandmother, and his extended family lived in both Hazard, Kentucky and London, Kentucky. He was named ‘General’ after a friend of his mother’s who helped her a lot during her pregnancy, and he lived in Hazard.
Fernbach was born in Cincinnati and was raised in Crescent Springs. He attended Crescent Springs elementary, Turkeyfoot Middle School, Dixie Heights, and Ryle High School.
Most Halloween holidays when he was little, Fernbach dressed up like a fireman. But as he grew, people advised him to think of something else to be when he grew up; they told him he couldn’t make a living as a firefighter, which was true at the time.
It was a hard truth for the boy.
He continued in school, and when he graduated he started work for Pomeroy, in accounts payable. His skills with cables quickly saw him promoted high up in the cable division. But when the company changed their headquarters to Nashville, they gave him a choice to relocate, or take a severance package.
“I thought initially that I would move,” Fernbach said. “But then my wife said ‘why don’t you take the payout and pursue your dream to be a firefighter.’ And that’s what I did.”
He met Chief Bill Martin, who was then at the Erlanger Fire Department, and Tim Koenig, assistant Fire Chief, and became a volunteer, but he had to have a job while he trained to become a firefighter and a paramedic, and he signed on as an assistant funeral director for Guy Linnemann at Linnemann Funeral Homes, until he could obtain a paying job at the fire department.
Fernbach was very happy that he could now realize his childhood dream of becoming a firefighter/paramedic. He went on to become a Nationally Registered Paramedic, the highest level of pre-hospital care someone can attain.
“I loved being a firefighter, it’s the best job in the world, but being able to make a difference in somebody’s life from a medical perspective, in my opinion, trumps even the firefighting portion,” Fernbach said. “You’re really going in and making a difference in someone’s life. Let’s say they’re in cardiac arrest, and we’re giving an IV and we’re intubating, and pushing medication to help save their life. To me there’s no better feeling in the world than being able to make that difference. Now, obviously it can also happen that sometimes we can’t make that difference and save that person, but I wanted to be able to do that.”
Fernbach related a case he had early in his career in Erlanger when they ran a chase car around northern Kentucky.
“We had a call for a child not breathing in Crescent Springs,” Fernbach said. “She was about 18 months or so, and I was able to successfully resuscitate her. Then later, when she was about four, I was able to meet her, and that was a very awesome thing. Very satisfying.”
He talked about a big fire with rolled paper in Walton and other large fires in Newport that he remembered helping to fight. There was a structure fire in Newport that was one of his first fires in Newport, and he explained that it was a surprise, because as soon as he and his partner were inside the building, there was ammunition that started to go off, and everyone had to get out quickly. Later the floor gave way, so it wasn’t safe to go back in, but he said even with all the protocol and rules, sometimes things happen that no one can predict.
Fernbach joined the Newport Fire Department in 2008 and became Assistant Chief in the Taylor Mill fire department in 2021. During the tenure of each department his natural leadership skills made him very popular with the firefighters, with his easygoing attitude and ready smile.Education is important to him, and he continued his education, acquiring two Bachelor degrees, and is currently working on a Masters degree. He became Taylor Mill’s Fire Chief in December of 2023, and, as such, quickly stepped forward to make sure the new firehouse is something his firefighters can be proud of.
“The building the firefighters are in now is definitely in bad shape,” he agreed. “You know, when you are a firefighter, you should be proud of where you work, proud of where you’re going to live, and proud of the community you are going to take care of. And this shows that the community is proud, too, and willing to do this. I am so, so happy for these guys!”
Fernbach is also extremely proud of the relationship and rapport he has with his ‘guys.’
“You know, anybody can want to lead people, they want to be in charge, right? ” he said. “But I don’t want to lead because I want to be in charge, I want to lead because I want people to go in the right direction; I want to lead the way, I want to be forward thinking, I want to be progressive, and have everybody included. And I think I have done a pretty decent job of that. I think the mayor and the commissioners agree with that.”
As he steps away from his leadership, he wants his ‘guys’ to remember that everything he did was with their best interests in mind. He wants them to know he has always thought of them first, and not about himself.
As extensive as his career has been, Fernbach doesn’t feel like he can point to any one thing that was his crowning achievement. He feels that he has been on teams his whole career, and as part of each team along the way, he has achieved highs and experienced lows, but overall he has been very happy with the career he always wanted.
His greatest achievement, however, is his kids. He has four, from age 26 down to age 18, one daughter and three sons, and they are the light of his life, along with his wife, Suzanne.
There will be a retirement party for the General on Monday evening, and he admits he has trouble with having the spotlight shine on him exclusively.
“I love giving gifts, but I do have trouble receiving gifts and attention,” he said, laughing. “My wife has done an excellent job, and she told me, ‘Let people love you; let them appreciate you for all you have done.’ It’s my biggest struggle, and I will be embarrassed, and I will be glad when the attention goes back to where it belongs — with everyone else.”
So the gentle giant of a chief, who loves to make a difference, will have a party, and let everyone love him before he walks into the sunset, looking for more opportunities to make a difference anywhere he can.