The Cherokee County Fire Service provides an important, and VITAL role throughout the county with 13 Volunteer Fire Departments who respond to more than just fire related emergencies.

These departments not ONLY respond to area fires, they also respond to: medical and hazardous material emergencies, vehicle accidents, service calls such as power lines downed or a tree across the roadway, as well as many other types of calls – and the job of fire service goes far beyond just fires.

Most fire service personnel are trained to a minimum of Emergency Care Provider a large portion are Emergency Medical Responders, with MANY being EMT’s and also Paramedics.

Area departments are located within each respective community and are divided into 13 fire districts – consisting of the Broomtown, Mt. Weisner, Tucker’s Chapel, McCords, Cedar Bluff, Spring Creek, the Spring Garden, Centre, Gaylesville, Sand Rock, Ellisville, Leesburg, and Cloudland areas.  When you have a medical emergency, and it meets certain criteria – such as unconsciousness, chest pain, seizure, trouble breathing, uncontrolled bleeding, possible stroke, along with many others, both Fire and EMS are dispatched together.

This allows for fire service personnel to arrive on-scene much faster and in most cases BEFORE the ambulance.  It allows for patient care to begin prior to the ambulance arriving, and the patients are able to be managed more effectively while waiting on the ambulance.

When dealing with medical emergencies seconds count and the goal is to reduce the amount of time that it takes for any and all, trained personnel to arrive on-scene and begin providing valuable care.

There are people who live in Cherokee County TODAY because of that.   Now, every fire department in Cherokee County, is in need of personnel – there’s plenty of other things the fire service does besides fighting fires.

If you are interested in becoming part of the team then contact your local volunteer fire department and let them know you’re interested.   If you don’t know exactly who to contact simply call the Cherokee County Emergency Management Agency at (256) 927-3367.

Now is the time to make a difference!