Fire Wire - Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services
Fire Wire - Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services
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!