Local fire chief appointed to Kentucky Fire Commission

LOGAN COUNTY, Ky. – A local fire chief has been in the game for several decades and is still climbing the ladder. She will soon start to serve in a new role impacting firefighters around the state.

Chief Cheryl Allen has been in emergency services for 40 years now following an interest sparked by her dad when she was young. Allen says her father was an EMS worker and would sometimes take her on rescue missions, which opened her eyes to the world of first responders.

After graduating high school, she started working for Logan Aluminum’s fire department in 1983, eventually becoming chief there, as well as at the Russellville Rural Fire Department.

Now with two chiefships under her belt, Allen will serve on the Kentucky Fire Commission board as a representative for the state’s volunteer fire chiefs. She was recommended for the position by the Kentucky Fire Chiefs’ Association, where she sits as the chaplain.

She’s also been the president and now vice president of the more newly formed South Central Kentucky Firefighters Association.

In her new role, Allen says she will help ensure needs are met for volunteer fire departments around Kentucky.

Allen said she’s excited to serve in her new role and advocate for the volunteer departments in Kentucky, which she said is upwards of 70% of all fire department’s in the state. She’s also the first woman in state history to fill this role.