Former Cherokee County firefighter dies in line of duty

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News has learned a former Cherokee County firefighter died in the line of duty over the weekend.

Fireman and medic Chuck McCormick worked for Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services for about three years before moving to the Missouri area with his family in 2017, where he had recently accepted a full-time position.

He died Sunday responding to a structure fire in West Peculiar, Missouri. Officials said McCormick fell through the floor inside a home.

“It’s just total shocking disbelief. You don’t ever really expect it to be something you were going to hear, and it’s not just someone you know. It’s literally my best friend​,” said paramedic and McCormick’s best friend, Christian Kutas. “He lived to serve.”

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Kutas said he and McCormick were stationed at Station 7 in Cherokee County.

“He was literally always smiling. Everyone always talks about that. Something he was known for was literally never being phased just as a person,” Kutas said.

Always present both at work and at home, McCormick’s wife and three young boys are now left without a husband and father.

That’s why Kutas and some of the Cherokee County firefighters started a GoFundMe, which has already raised more than $40,000 in about one day for the family.

“He’s the fireman everyone hopes to be, the fireman that everyone strives to be. That’s the kind of person Chuck was, but above all, the number one thing Chuck was was a great father and great husband,” Kutas said.

According to the West Peculiar Fire Protection District, McCormick’s funeral will be Saturday.

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