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Fire Wire - Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services

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The <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>Wire</strong><br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> Office of <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Emergency</strong> <strong>Services</strong><br />

150 Chattin Drive, Canton, Georgia 30115 • (678) 493-4000<br />

July - August Volume 9 - Issue 4<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong>fighters Jump at the<br />

Chance to Learn Water Rescue Training<br />

Story on page 7


The <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>Wire</strong><br />

Published bi-monthly by the<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> Office of <strong>Fire</strong><br />

<strong>and</strong> <strong>Emergency</strong> <strong>Services</strong><br />

Raymond Gunnin<br />

<strong>Fire</strong> Chief<br />

The <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>Wire</strong><br />

First Officer’s Forum Held<br />

Page 2<br />

Tim Cavender<br />

Editor<br />

Tim Prather<br />

Assistant <strong>Fire</strong> Chief<br />

Eddie Robinson<br />

Training Division Chief<br />

Rick Ruh<br />

<strong>Fire</strong> Marshal<br />

Kevin Botts<br />

Support <strong>Services</strong> Manager<br />

Jill Mabley, M.D.,FACEP<br />

Medical Director<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong> Chief, Raymond Gunnin, speaks to over 100<br />

employees at the first Officer’s Forum.<br />

On April 13th, 2011, <strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Emergency</strong> <strong>Services</strong><br />

held its first Officers Forum.<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> Office of<br />

<strong>Fire</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Emergency</strong> <strong>Services</strong><br />

150 Chattin Drive<br />

Canton, GA 30115<br />

Phone: [678] 493-4000<br />

Fax: [678] 493-4034<br />

www.cherokeecountyfire.org<br />

Office Hours: Monday through Friday<br />

8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.<br />

Closed Saturday, Sunday <strong>and</strong> Holidays<br />

ABOUT THE COVER <strong>Cherokee</strong><br />

<strong>County</strong> firefighter, Clay<br />

Baxter, jumps into Lake<br />

Allatoona to begin his Water<br />

Rescue Training.<br />

Details of the event<br />

on page 8<br />

According to Capt. Shane West, the coordinator of the Officer’s Forum,<br />

“The Officers Forum is designed to promote positive communication<br />

skills, improve the dissemination of information, enhance leadership<br />

<strong>and</strong> provide quality training <strong>and</strong> education throughout all levels of the<br />

organization.”<br />

“The 1st Officers Forum was a huge success with 103 personnel in<br />

attendance. The information the comm<strong>and</strong> staff delivered was well<br />

received <strong>and</strong> several field personnel had the opportunity to ask the<br />

comm<strong>and</strong> staff questions that were important to them individually,”<br />

added West.<br />

Capt. West does encourage on-duty personnel to attend, but<br />

personnel must obtain approval from their perspective Battalion Chief.<br />

The first two Officer Forum’s were held at the building located on the<br />

site of the new Training Complex <strong>and</strong> the last forum was held at the<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> Administrative Offices located at The Bluffs near Canton.<br />

Captain West also stated that the next Officer’s Forum is scheduled for<br />

July 6th, 2011 <strong>and</strong> will be held at The Bluffs. The meeting will be held<br />

in the large room located on the ground floor <strong>and</strong> will start promptly at<br />

9 o’clock.


The <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>Wire</strong><br />

Page 3<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Emergency</strong> <strong>Services</strong><br />

Honored by the Department of Defense<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Emergency</strong> <strong>Services</strong> was recently<br />

honored with an ‘Above <strong>and</strong> Beyond’ Award in recognition of<br />

their support to their employees who serve in the Georgia<br />

National Guard <strong>and</strong> Army Reserve. The presentation was<br />

made by the Georgia Employer Support of the Guard <strong>and</strong><br />

Reserve (GA ESGR), an agency of the Department of<br />

Defense, at their Annual Awards Banquet at the Macon Marriott<br />

City Center.<br />

The ‘Above <strong>and</strong> Beyond’ Award is given in limited numbers<br />

<strong>and</strong> presented annually by the GA ESGR to those employers<br />

who go above <strong>and</strong> beyond the requirements of the federal<br />

law in supporting their Reserve Component employees.<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Emergency</strong> <strong>Services</strong> provides<br />

outst<strong>and</strong>ing support with pay differential to offset the loss of<br />

wages, <strong>and</strong> extension of health care benefits which<br />

Eddie Robinson, Training Chief for <strong>Cherokee</strong><br />

<strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Emergency</strong> <strong>Services</strong>, receives<br />

the award from the Georgia Employer Support<br />

of the Guard <strong>and</strong> Reserve.<br />

Did You Know.....<br />

The National Guard, the oldest component<br />

of the Armed Forces of the United States<br />

<strong>and</strong> one of the nation’s longest-enduring<br />

institutions, will celebrate its 375th birthday<br />

on December 13, 2011.<br />

complement coverage provided by the military when their<br />

employees are mobilized. According to Training Chief, Eddie<br />

Robinson, who accepted the award on behalf of the fire<br />

department, “We are fortunate that our Board of<br />

Commissioners support our employees who serve in the<br />

Georgia National Guard <strong>and</strong> Reserve. Their dedication to<br />

these employees shows their willingness to help those who<br />

are fighting for the freedoms that we enjoy in this great country.”<br />

Robinson also recognized the employees of the fire<br />

department who are always willing to help the families of their<br />

co-workers who have spouses that are serving overseas.<br />

As the 1.3 million members of the National Guard <strong>and</strong><br />

Reserve continue to perform an increasing number of<br />

unique missions with America’s borders <strong>and</strong> beyond, ESGR<br />

will continue to be the resource for the employers of citizen<br />

warriors. ESGR provides education, consultation, <strong>and</strong> if<br />

necessary mediation for employers of Guard <strong>and</strong> Reserve<br />

employees.


The <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>Wire</strong><br />

Page 4<br />

Join The <strong>Fire</strong> Corps<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Emergency</strong> <strong>Services</strong> is<br />

currently recruiting volunteers for the <strong>Fire</strong> Corps<br />

program. The <strong>Fire</strong> Corps program was launched in<br />

2004 in effort to help departments face increasing<br />

dem<strong>and</strong>s. <strong>Fire</strong> Corps mission is to increase the<br />

capacity of departments through the use of<br />

community volunteers in non-emergency roles. Nonemergency<br />

volunteers allow departments to exp<strong>and</strong><br />

their services, such as enhancing fire prevention<br />

programs <strong>and</strong> public outreach.<br />

Capt. Bill Hamby (center) <strong>and</strong> Sgt. Babette Davis<br />

(right) speak to <strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong> Chief,<br />

Raymond Gunnin, about the <strong>Fire</strong> Corps.<br />

Volunteers can help provide services that the public<br />

wants but that responders may not have time to<br />

furnish. All activities of the fire corps are nonemergency<br />

support roles.<br />

<strong>Fire</strong> Corps falls under the umbrella of Citizen Corps<br />

nationally.<br />

<strong>Fire</strong> Corps programs help <strong>Fire</strong> & EMS departments by utilizing volunteers for non-emergency support<br />

functions allowing emergency personnel to concentrate on their core duties of emergency response.<br />

<strong>Fire</strong> Corps volunteers can provide many services including: Installing smoke alarms <strong>and</strong> other fire<br />

prevention activities, inventory <strong>and</strong> record keeping, fire <strong>and</strong> life safety education to people of all ages,<br />

newsletter <strong>and</strong> web page development, fundraising, grant writing, public relations <strong>and</strong> outreach <strong>and</strong> much<br />

more!<br />

If you are interested in learning more about the <strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong> Corps program contact Babette Davis<br />

at bdavis@cherokeega.com or call (770) 721-7809 or Captain Bill Hamby at whamby@cherokeega.com or<br />

call (678) 493-6291. Plus, there will be an informative meeting on the <strong>Fire</strong> Corps on Monday, August 1st,<br />

2011 at the <strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> Administration Building, located at 1130 Bluffs Parkway in Canton, Georgia<br />

beginning at 6:30 pm.<br />

Come Be A<br />

Part of Us!


The <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>Wire</strong><br />

Page 5<br />

Chief Prather Walks in the Fight Against Cancer<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> Assistant <strong>Fire</strong> Chief, Tim Prather,<br />

recently participated in the Relay for Life in Pickens<br />

<strong>County</strong>.<br />

The American Cancer Society Relay for Life is a lifechanging<br />

event that gives everyone in communities<br />

across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of<br />

people who have battled cancer, remember loved<br />

ones lost, <strong>and</strong> fight back against the disease. At<br />

Relay, teams of people camped out at a local high<br />

school, park, or fairground <strong>and</strong> take turns walking or<br />

running around a track or path. Each team is asked<br />

to have a representative on the track at all times<br />

during the event. Because cancer never sleeps,<br />

Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> Assistant <strong>Fire</strong> Chief, Tim Prather,<br />

holds his certificate for receiving the “Most Individual<br />

Paper Clips.”<br />

According to Chief Prather, “I exceeded my goal. My<br />

goal was 100 laps <strong>and</strong> I completed 102 laps. One<br />

lap was approximately 1,627 feet, so Chief Prather<br />

walked a total distance of over 31 miles. I began at 2<br />

o’clock on Saturday with 10 lap blocks <strong>and</strong> approximately<br />

30 minute breaks in between. I completed 60<br />

by midnight. However, sometime around 3 am, I had<br />

refigured <strong>and</strong> realized that I could not complete the<br />

goal by the deadline by 6 o’clock Sunday morning.<br />

So, the last two blocks had to be increased to 15<br />

laps with only a 15 minute break,” added Prather.<br />

Chief Prather completed lap 100 at 5:47 Sunday<br />

morning, only 13 minutes shy of the 6 o’clock deadline.<br />

Hi total walk time was just over 9 hours.<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> firefighter, Tim Milburn, also participated in the event <strong>and</strong> completed 50 laps. “We sat<br />

down for approximately 45 minutes <strong>and</strong> had a hard time getting back up. Some of us dozed off for a few<br />

minutes. Sunday was a bad day. I was hurting pretty bad in my calves <strong>and</strong> feet. But, I did not blister. I carried<br />

several changes of socks <strong>and</strong> rotated shoes between blocks to prevent the blistering. But, the aching, I<br />

could not prevent”, continued Prather.<br />

During each lap, team members were to pick up a paper clip to keep up with the amount of laps completed.<br />

Chief Prather received the award for “Most Individual Paper Clips” during an awards program last week.<br />

Prather also said, “Overall, it was a blast. Our team is already looking forward to next year's Relay for Life<br />

now that we know what to expect. I believe our team will also receive the award for the most "team" laps<br />

walked. I would like to thank the local fire department union for their donation in sponsoring my participation<br />

in this walk. As we all know, it does go to a good cause. “


The <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>Wire</strong><br />

Page 6<br />

<strong>Fire</strong>fighters Participate in Safety Town<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Emergency</strong> <strong>Services</strong><br />

visited children in June who participated in Safety<br />

Town at Bascomb Elementary School. Safety Town<br />

is a week long experience <strong>and</strong> features a pint-sized<br />

town where comprehensive safety messages are<br />

taught by safety professionals to kindergarten age<br />

children. Each day they learned a different safety<br />

message.<br />

Along with pedestrian <strong>and</strong> traffic safety, the innovative<br />

curriculum included poison prevention, water<br />

safety, playground safety, animal safety, stranger<br />

awareness, bicycle safety, school bus safety, <strong>and</strong><br />

more. Safety Town's goal is to help children recognize<br />

hazardous situations <strong>and</strong> react to them. Children<br />

have "h<strong>and</strong>s-on" learning while riding through<br />

the Safety Town streets along with singing safety<br />

songs, playing safe games, coloring <strong>and</strong> participating<br />

in other activities designed around safety.<br />

A <strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong> Explorer, dressed in full<br />

turn-out gear, shows the children the importance of<br />

never being afraid of a firefighter.<br />

One the last day of Safety Town, the subject was fire<br />

safety <strong>and</strong> <strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> firefighters were on<br />

h<strong>and</strong> to teach the children some important safety<br />

tips. Children were entertained by Freddie the <strong>Fire</strong><br />

Truck <strong>and</strong> also watched a fireman put on his turnout<br />

gear. They also received a tour of a fire truck <strong>and</strong><br />

learned about fire safety while experiencing the <strong>Fire</strong><br />

Safety House. The <strong>Fire</strong> Safety House is a mockeddown,<br />

split-level version of a private home on a<br />

trailer. Infused with theatrical smoke to simulate reallife<br />

fire conditions, participants practice effective fire<br />

evacuation techniques in a realistic setting.<br />

Debi Radcliff, one of the directors of Safety Town,<br />

said, “This is the ninth year that we have presented<br />

Safety Town to the children of <strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong>.<br />

When we first started, we had 42 children who<br />

participated in the program. This year, we did the<br />

program for three weeks <strong>and</strong> had over 210 children<br />

to participate.” Since Safety Town began in 2002,<br />

approximately 1,500 children in <strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong><br />

have gone through the week long safety program.<br />

Safety Town was held three times this year during<br />

the month of June. To learn more about Safety<br />

Town, visit their website at<br />

www.cherokeecountysafetytown.org<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> firefighter, Paul Faulkner, shows<br />

the kids of Safety Town some of the tools that<br />

firefighters use to fight fire.


The <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>Wire</strong><br />

Page 7<br />

Evans Retires After 21 Years<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> firefighter, Sgt. Jimmy Evans,<br />

was recognized on May 11th, at the Officer’s<br />

Forum that was held today at the <strong>Fire</strong> Training<br />

Complex near Holly Springs, due to his upcoming<br />

retirement from the fire department.<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong> Chief, Raymond Gunnin<br />

(left), <strong>and</strong> Assistant <strong>Fire</strong> Chief, Tim Prather (right),<br />

honor Jimmy Evans for his 21 years of service to<br />

the citizens of <strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong>.<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong> Chief, Raymond Gunnin,<br />

thanked Evans for his service to the citizens of<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong>. According to Gunnin, “Jimmy<br />

was hired on as a mechanic <strong>and</strong> he worked on<br />

the engines at Station 20.” Assistant <strong>Fire</strong> Chief,<br />

Tim Prather, <strong>and</strong> Training Chief, Eddie Robinson,<br />

also shared some funny stories about Evan’s<br />

career with the department. Evans was presented<br />

with a “bugle” award today in front of a<br />

crowd of his peers. The bugle or speaking trumpet<br />

is a reference to a megaphone like device<br />

that was used in the early days of the fire service.<br />

Evans began his career with <strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Emergency</strong> <strong>Services</strong> on March 5th, 1990. His<br />

last shift with the department will be this coming Saturday. We wish Jimmy many happy years of<br />

retirement!<br />

Volunteer <strong>Fire</strong>fighters Run for Ashley<br />

Volunteers from the Holly Spring <strong>Fire</strong> Department<br />

participated in the 6th Annual Holly Springs Memorial<br />

Day 5K <strong>and</strong> Fun Run that was held on Saturday,<br />

May 28th.<br />

The volunteer firefighters not only ran the race, but<br />

assited in helping a 27 year old young man to participate<br />

in the run, too. Ashley Bryant, son of Wendy<br />

Bryant, has cerebral palsy <strong>and</strong> is confined to a<br />

wheelchair. Joe Tkacsik, senior builder for the city of<br />

Holly Springs, came up with the idea to have Ashley<br />

participate in the race this year. Tkacsik <strong>and</strong> Bryant<br />

met in 2008 at another charity race <strong>and</strong>, since then,<br />

the two have participated in numerous other races.<br />

The race began at Holly Springs Elementary School<br />

with Tkacsik pushing Ashley in his wheelchair. Approximately<br />

every half-mile, other runners, including<br />

members of the volunteer fire department, took over<br />

Wendy Bryant pushes her son, Ashley, in the Holly<br />

Springs Memorial Day 5K <strong>and</strong> Fun Run.<br />

the pushing for Ashley. The race ended at Barrett<br />

Park in Holly Springs.


The <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>Wire</strong><br />

Page 8<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong>fighters Take to the Water<br />

<strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> firefighters head to Lake Allatoona<br />

during the first week of June to do more than<br />

enjoying time on the lake. The firefighters went<br />

through an extensive water rescue training event to<br />

help them be better prepared during an emergency<br />

at the lake.<br />

According to Lt. Robbie Kennedy, a <strong>Fire</strong> Training<br />

Officer with <strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> <strong>Fire</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Emergency</strong><br />

<strong>Services</strong>, “We covered boat maneuvering, driving<br />

<strong>and</strong> maneuvering our two rescue boats, boat trailer<br />

maneuvering, limited contact rescues, personal<br />

flotation device safety, <strong>and</strong> rescue rope throw bag<br />

operations.”<br />

All in all, <strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> firefighters received<br />

about 8 hours in the classroom <strong>and</strong> 10 hours of<br />

practical application training.<br />

The Water Rescue Training came in h<strong>and</strong>y a couple<br />

of weeks later when <strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> firefighters<br />

responded to a gentleman who had been injured on<br />

Lake Allatoona.<br />

According to Lt. Rick Baechtal, “The four of us<br />

(firefighters) proceeded down river <strong>and</strong> were with the<br />

patient within 8 minutes of dispatch. We arrived to<br />

find a young male floating next to a powerboat. It<br />

seems he had suffered head <strong>and</strong> back injuries <strong>and</strong><br />

was in extreme pain. He was also hypothermic <strong>and</strong><br />

starting to shake uncontrollably due to being in the<br />

water motionless.”<br />

A <strong>Cherokee</strong> <strong>County</strong> firefighter reaches for a rescue<br />

rope throw bag.<br />

“Sgt. Michael Poulson <strong>and</strong> firefighter Michael Sims<br />

entered the water, with Sims assuming C-spine. The<br />

patient was placed onto a backboard <strong>and</strong> then into<br />

the stokes basket. We soon had him loaded on<br />

Boat-22 <strong>and</strong> proceeded back to shore,” added<br />

Baechtal. The patient was later transported in an<br />

ambulance to Marietta’s Kennestone Hospital.<br />

Baechtal also expressed his pride in being involved<br />

in this incident <strong>and</strong> commended each team member<br />

who performed this rescue in a manner the citizens<br />

<strong>and</strong> our department can be proud of.<br />

Wear It!<br />

It Could SAVE Your Life!

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