Thursday, July 27, 2000 | 11:38 a.m.
Kenneth Lee Herrington, a veteran firefighter who commanded the scenes of downtown Las Vegas blazes in the days before the hotels were required to have indoor sprinkler systems on the higher stories, has died. He was 71.
Herrington, who in 1982 retired from the Las Vegas Fire Department as a battalion chief after 24 years with the department, died Sunday at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center.
Services for the 47-year Las Vegas resident were Wednesday at Palm Mortuary.
"He was from the old school of firefighting -- a disciplined traditionalist with a crew cut who expected his men to be as disciplined," said Deputy Chief Ken Riddle, who as a firefighter served under Herrington.
"Ken was a good fire scene commander who often took command of the situation while en route to the fire, which is something that is not done anymore."
In those days, before casinos were required to have sprinkler systems above the first few floors, it was imperative for downtown fire commanders to quickly access situations at high-rise buildings. Given their proximity to each other, an out-of-control fire could have burned several properties.
It was not until after the deadly MGM fire in 1980 and the Las Vegas Hilton fire in 1981 that laws were changed to force hotels to put sprinkler systems on every floor and take other safety measures.
Riddle said Herrington led units that battled numerous hotel and motel fires in the downtown area. He also fought a fire at the Las Vegas Club when it was under construction in the early 1960s, Riddle said.
Born Oct. 11, 1928, in Ogden, Utah, Herrington was an Army veteran of World War II.
He moved to Las Vegas in 1953 and was hired by the fire department on May 16, 1958, as a firefighter. Herrington was promoted to engineer in July 1963 and to captain the next May. He became a battalion chief in March 1974 and held that post until his retirement on Aug. 1, 1982.
Herrington is survived by his wife, Barbara Herrington of Las Vegas; a daughter, Sandra Day of West Jordan, Utah; a son, Jeffrey Cuddy of Las Vegas; two sisters, Beverly Honing of Montana and Vivian Carver of Utah; and four grandchildren.
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