Andrews – Valleytown Fire & Rescue hosted its 53rd anniversary open house Saturday.
Smoky Mountain Barbecue Co. provided luncheon plates, Lil Snowie had cool treats and AeroJump had a bouncy house for kids of all ages.
Life Force 6 also put in an appearance, thrilling the crowd with its liftoff due to impending rain. MAMA was also scheduled to appear, but due to a call they had to defer until the next event.
The annual open house is to help engage with the public and, according to assistant fire chief Richard Harris, “to let everyone know we’re here and to foster a sense of community.”
“We only missed one year because of COVID, but we’re back on track and want to offer more events like this house to get residents involved and let them see what we do,” he added.
Harris said the department is trying to generate interest since there has been a sharp decline in volunteers.
“We’ve got two paid positions, for me and the chief, and we’ve got two positions for the weekends to be staffed, but everyone else gives their time,” he said. “You can’t find a lot of people who want to do this for nothing.”
Rescue Capt. Heather Weaver, an 18-year veteran with the county, echoes that.
“We do and see things so that the rest of the community doesn’t have to,” she said, speaking to the fact that every member of the department responds to life-and-death situations so the general public can feel safe.
Harris said the department wants to reach out more after transitioning programming from Andrews to include more interaction with Cherokee County Schools.
“We visit Andrews Elementary, but are wanting to reach out more at the middle and high school levels as well,” he said. “You’ve got to spark that interest when the kids are young and try to maintain it.”
To help fan that flame, there was also a Kids Fire Safety House open to anyone under 5 feet tall. The house provides two levels for ample exploration of how to create fire safety routes at home.
Home can be almost anywhere in Cherokee County, since Harris said Valleytown has the largest district with more than 110 miles. Valleytown provides assistance to the Nantahala Volunteer Fire Department on both sides of the community and also can go into Swain County to provide mutual aid if needed.
With 12 years of service in the county, Harris has seen both waxes and wanes in interest in volunteering.
“I’ve got two and a half jobs, actually, and most people don’t want to work for little to no pay. With everything going on in the world these days, people are just tired and maybe want to escape through any other means,” he said.
“There are so many situations where we deal with mental health issues, safety issues, and some people just get worn out by it. People just don’t want to take care of people anymore.”
Weaver and Harris agree that it’s impossible to teach empathy, but events like the open house are meant to generate interest in by meeting the people “we all rely on when we need them.”
The department is always looking for volunteers and also offers training in various methods of rescue, including Water Rescue Technician on Oct. 6-8 and 13-15.
Details: 828-321-3707, Valleytown Fire & Rescue Facebook page.