The Chattanooga Fire Department handled its highest annual call volume in 2022 and still made progress on several vital projects.
In 2022, the CFD responded to 24,500 calls, including more than 290 structure fires, nearly 10,000 EMS calls and motor vehicle crashes and over 2,700 “assist a citizen” calls. Crews saved about $151 million in property from fire damage last year.
In comparison, Chattanooga Fire responded to 23,356 calls in 2021, including 248 fires. That’s a 17% increase in fires alone, notes a news release from the department.
“It certainly was a productive and rewarding 2022 for the men and women in our department,” says Fire Chief Phil Hyman.
As the CFD resets the tally and begins a new year, it’s looking ahead to the delivery of six new fire trucks within the next 12 to 14 months, including four pumpers, a quint and a ladder. The vehicles will replenish portions of the department’s aging fleet.
“The new apparatus cost nearly $6 million and will greatly help with our operations on different scenes,” says Hyman.
In 2021, the CFP deployed two new 21-foot fireboats during several rescue operations. One is strategically placed above Chickamauga Dam and the other is stationed below the dam to provide efficient responses to incidents on the water, according to the news release.
The department has also received new equipment for its squad companies, including airbags and Makita tools.
“Our squads respond to hazardous materials calls, urban search and rescue (USAR) incidents, vehicle extrications, trench rescues, rope rescues, confined space rescues and collapse rescues, so they need the best tools to save lives,” explains Hyman.
In addition to the above equipment, Chattanooga Fire’s Operations Division acquired six new Polaris UTVs to assist firefighters during complicated rescue missions on rugged terrain. The UTVs help first responders access hard-to-reach locations, especially following severe weather events, when the department’s large trucks are unable to navigate past downed trees and debris.
To safeguard the health of its crews in 2021, the CFD began installing new AirEvac systems in its fire halls to remove toxic fumes from the trucks running in the bays. The department has placed systems in 12 of its 20 stations.
In another major project undertaken in 2022, Chattanooga Fire partnered with the Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security to acquire funding for the replacement of its drill tower.
The City of Chattanooga is receiving $1.5 million from Hamilton County for the construction of a new fire training tower at the Chattanooga Fire and Police Training Center on Amnicola Highway.
This is the first phase in the planning and funding stages to tear down the current training tower – erected in 1976 – and build a new one.
“There’s been a long-standing need for this project, as the six-story tower has far exceeded its lifespan,” Hyman says.
Chattanooga Fire will be seeking capital funding in the budget for the next fiscal year to match the county’s contribution. With a total of $3 million from the city and county, the department can be replace the tower with a modern structure.
The CFD uses the tower for training in multiple disciplines, including live fire drills, ladder drills, aerial training, physical fitness and rope training for USAR operations.
Other departments from across the region also use the tower, including Hamilton County’s volunteer firefighting agencies.
Training was once again a top priority in 2022, reports Chattanooga Fire. In addition to a company officer development course, multi-company drills and a focus on special operations, members of a regional USAR task force completed a 60-hour technical rope rescue class, an 80-hour structural collapse class and a 40-hour trench rescue class.
The CFD graduated an 18-person academy in June 2022 and placed those new firefighters in fire companies through the Chattanooga community.
Hyman says community outreach improved following the appointment of two key positions: a fire and life safety educator who connected with 6,000 students and citizens last year to teach them about fire safety and prevention; and a recruitment and community outreach coordinator, who interacted with more than 10,000 people in 2022 at schools and events throughout the city.
“Our newly-formed connections with neighborhood groups and members of the community have provided opportunities to inform the public about the different services the fire department provides and educate citizens of all ages about the life-saving steps they can take to protect their homes, their businesses and their families during a fire emergency,” says Hyman.
Chattanooga Fire will train and welcome another group of cadets in 2023. The next academy is scheduled to begin Jan. 27 with 34 recruits.
The department also hopes to break ground on a new Fire Station 15 off Shallowford Road in early spring and replace its records management system as it pushes for more technological enhancements.
Source: Chattanooga Fire Department