Cherokee County
If you’ve ever dreamed of being a hero, that dream may be more obtainable than you realize. Volunteer fire departments in Cherokee County are in desperate need of new volunteers to join their teams and assist in myriad ways.
These hometown heroes play a big role in helping keep costs lower, as each department is rated on personnel, equipment, water supply, response time among other factors.
An Insurance Services Office fire rating is a score given to fire departments that reflects how prepared an area is regarding fires. The better the ISO rating, the lower that area’s homeowner’s insurance premium rates are.
Oftentimes, small fire departments operate only with volunteers. A volunteer can assist a department in many areas, as not all duties consist of fighting fires. Other tasks include responding to vehicle accidents, crowd and traffic control at scenes, helping rehab others on site with water as well as departmental jobs.
“Our biggest need now is for members in the periphery. We’ve got three stations, but the vast majority of our personnel live within the service area of our primary station. That leaves the station at Bear Paw Resort and Wehutty Road basically uncovered. It’s a scary situation,” said Fire Chief Chad McNabb of the Hiwassee Dam Fire Department.
“A main member of the Wehutty station recently passed away, leaving that department in need of someone to respond to the station and get the trucks.”
He added that citizens need to understand the repercussions, financial and otherwise, if fire department substations are forced to close due to lack of personnel. The consequences of closing a substation can mean every home within that service area becomes a class 10, basically meaning they are non-insurable.
That affects current homes as well as new construction. Volunteer departments are working hard to prevent this, but it will take additional manpower.
To help keep this from happening, people are encouraged to join, train and respond, which helps the entire community. If departments can’t find volunteers to assist, they may be forced to hire and pay for staff, which would dramatically increase taxes for that area’s property owners.
McNabb is not the only chief in need of volunteer firefighters. Other departments in Cherokee County are struggling as well.
Chief Mike Taylor with the Ranger Volunteer Fire Department is also concerned about the need to bring in new volunteers. His department is looking for volunteers of any age, but really need folks in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
“Someone who is interested can come and fill out an application. The board will then do an interview to determine where their strengths, weaknesses and interests are, and we’ll answer any questions. Of course, there’s a background check and a drug test,” Taylor said.
“If everything’s good to go, we’ll vote them on. There’s a job for everyone.”
There are people moving to these areas from other geographical locations, some with prior firefighting experience. Retired firefighters are another big asset, as they already have training and experience under their belts.
Age is not a factor in one being able to assist a fire department. All of the training needed to become a volunteer firefighter is provided at no cost to the volunteer as well as any gear, equipment and a tone-out pager.
If you would like to help your family, neighbors and community, contact your area’s volunteer fire department and join a team that can truly make a difference. If you can’t reach them, email McNabb at chief@hiwasseedamfire.com.