Fairfield Glade Fire Department
Fire Department Blog
A Message from the Chief!
Kirk McLaughlin
Chief, Fairfield Glade Fire Department​
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A Year in Review
It seems, when the end of the year rolls around, everywhere you look, there’s a “Year in Review” story. So, I thought, why not a year in review for your FGFD.
Thankfully, we do not see a lot of fires in Fairfield Glade, only 10 in 2024. So, many people wonder, “What does a fire department do when they aren’t responding to a fire? Let me show you what your FGFD did in 2024 when we weren’t fighting a fire.
Many of you don’t know that we assist EMS with many of their medical calls. We respond to calls from EMS for Lift Assists. We respond to Life Flight calls to protect the landing zone while aiding both the Life Flight crews and our EMS teams. In 2024, we responded to over 40 of these types of calls.
We respond to motor vehicle accidents for extrication, EMS support and traffic control. In 2024 we responded to more than 10 of these with one being a vehicle fire.
We responded to 12 hazardous condition calls. One of which was a “propane overpressure” situation.
In 2024, we responded to more than 40 false fire alarm calls.
In addition to the above non fire calls, in 2024 we had brush fires, a major kitchen fire, plus a vehicle fire involving a leaf truck.
And we do this 24/7.
Annually we test the pumps of every truck and certify them.
Annually, we test the strength of all our ladders with huge weights.
We have developed a Pre Fire Plan for each of the public buildings in the Glade in case of emergency. These plans include photos, emergency contact information and on-scene information including the location of all utilities.
Coming soon we will be unveiling our home fire safety inspections program.
Twice a month, on the weekends we train our first responders in everything from the use of rescue tools to fire extinguishers, to breathing apparatus, to ladders, door breaching and rescue techniques. And if that’s not enough, we inspect and record the condition of every piece of our equipment, from the trucks down to the smallest tool, EVERY WEEK. Oh boy, I forgot to mention…HOSE TESTING. Three times a year we haul out every length of hose we have, hundreds and hundreds of feet of it, connect it together, connect it to a hydrant and pressurize it. We check for leaks and wear and tear, and all this data is recorded, because every one of our hoses has a unique identifying number. These tests provide the basis for repair and replacement.
As part of the Tennessee Fire Marshal’s statewide program, we install smoke detectors free of charge and replace owner supplied batteries in detectors. In 2024, our smoke detector team installed 306 detectors, replaced 155 batteries, performed 22 smoke detector checks and responded to 145 calls.
We proudly welcome 7 new firefighters who successfully completed the 80 hours of training and have been certified by the state.
So, there is lots to do when the alarm doesn’t sound.
The best thing about all of this is…WE LOVE DOING IT.
It’s what we signed up for. Helping our neighbors get through what could be the worst day of their lives.
We appreciate the support of the people of Fairfield Glade which makes doing this even more gratifying.
Happy New Year from your FGFD. We wish you all a safe and prosperous New Year.
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Kirk McLaughlin, Chief
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A Very Special Thank You to the FFG Road Crew
Your Fairfield Glade Fire Department congratulates the Fairfield Glade Works Department for the outstanding job they have done in keeping our roads clear through the recent snow and frigid temperatures. The fire department was called out many times over the past week. Without the diligence and sacrifice of our road crews, there would have been some calls we would not have been able to access.
Thank you for all your hard work in keeping our roads open and safe.
Your friends, The Members of the Fairfield Glade Fire Department
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