Of the 732 fire departments in Tennessee, both volunteer and paid, DeKalb County Fire Department ranks 17 for 2016-17 training achievement by the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy. Considering the ranking among departments that operate with 100 percent volunteer staff in the state, DeKalb County Fire Department ranks second; only 13 hours short of the number one spot!
This is the ninth consecutive year DeKalb County Fire Department has been recognized as one of Tennessee’s elite fire departments for outstanding training achievement. Last year, the department was the #4 volunteer fire department in Tennessee for training hours. This year, the department logged 2,908 training hours at the state fire academy and was recognized as a Gold Level fire department in Tennessee for 2016-17. The Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy presented the department with a Certificate of Training Achievement.
DeKalb County Mayor Tim Stribling commended the department’s members and leaders for continuing to make DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department’s training program a legacy of excellence. “Our county takes great pride in the level of commitment and service that we continue to see year after year from our volunteer firefighters who work hard and train hard to make sure our citizens have good fire protection here in DeKalb County. Getting this kind of statewide recognition for the ninth consecutive year makes it very clear that we have an excellent group of committed men and women who sacrifice many hours to be prepared to respond to the emergency needs of our citizens,” says Mayor Stribling.
Chief Donny Green says he wants to personally commend Captain Brian Williams, the department's Training Officer, for his leadership in planning and coordinating the department's training activities in a manner that consistently spotlights our training program as one of top in the state; volunteer or career. In addition to the 2,908 hours at the Academy, Captain Williams coordinated over 3,000 man hours of in "in-house" training. Chief Green says that without the support of County Mayor Tim Stribling, the County Commission, the families of our volunteer firefighters, and the citizens of DeKalb County, the department could not have achieved such prestigious recognition. “Properly trained firefighters are the best tools available to any fire department. Without proper training, the best and most expensive equipment is useless. However, good training coupled with good equipment is priceless,” says Chief Green. Training performance and documentation are core elements in the Insurance Services Office's (ISO) property protection that determine how much property owner's have to pay in homeowners insurance premiums. The DeKalb County Fire Department's proven commitment to training and emergency response has resulted in a dramatic improvement to DeKalb County’s Public Protection Classification Rating of Class 6 for all areas of DeKalb County located within 5 road miles of one of the department’s 11 stations.
If you are interested in learning more about the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department, or would like information on how to be a member of our team, you can visit the Department’s website at: www.dekalbfire.com, or call 615-464-7176. You can also visit the Department’s FaceBook group page.
Elite Club 2016-2017
Platinum
Johnson City Fire Department 11,062
Murfreesboro Fire & Rescue 10,126
Bartlett Fire Department 7,552
Franklin Fire Department 6,118
Cleveland Fire Department 5,110
Memphis Fire Department 4,172
Gallatin Fire Department 4,157
Dyersburg Fire Department 4,100
Gold
Hendersonville Fire Department 3,998
Lebanon Fire Department 3,788
Brentwood Fire & Rescue 3,719
Kingsport Fire Department 3,684
Smyrna Fire Department 3,526
Wilson County EMA 3,388
Clarksville Fire & Rescue 3,078
Seymour Volunteer Fire Department 2,921
DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department 2,908
Elizabethton Fire Department 2,864
Crossville Fire Department 2,860
Rural/Metro Fire Department 2,758
Hardin County Fire Department 2,694
Williamson County Fire & Rescue 2,690
McMinnville Fire Department 2,668
Maury County Fire Department 2,641
Pigeon Forge Fire Department 2,529
Williamson County Rescue Squad 2,509
Blount County Fire Department 2,488
Lawrenceburg Fire Department 2,455
Columbia Fire Department 2,414
Sevierville Fire Department 2,349
Jefferson City Fire Department 2,196
Germantown Fire Department 2,195
Knoxville Fire Department 2,126
Martin Fire Department 2,090
Silver
Tullahoma Fire Department 1,920
Rutherford County Fire & Rescue 1,878
Putnam County Fire Department 1,825
Manchester Fire Department 1,604
Fairview Fire Department 1,557
Cookeville Fire Department 1,544
Signal Mountain Fire Department 1,535
Fire Department of Mt. Juliet 1,520
Cumberland Gap Volunteer Fire Department 1,489
Goodlettsville Fire Department 1,477
Jackson Fire Department 1,412
Shelbyville Fire Department 1,403
Karns Volunteer Fire Department 1,401
Decatur County Fire Department 1,352
Gatlinburg Fire Department 1,317
Madison County Fire Department 1,304
Sevier County Volunteer Fire Department 1,283
Morristown Fire Department 1,274
White House Community Volunteer Fire Dept. 1,272
Rhea County Fire Department 1,265
LaVergne Fire Department 1,236
Bristol Fire Department 1,235
Cumberland County Fire Department 1,208
Loudon Fire Department 1,202
Henderson County Fire Department 1,199
Millington Fire Department 1,180
Oak Ridge Fire Department 1,171
Greeneville Fire Department 1,143
Lincoln County Volunteer Fire Department 1,139
Pleasant View Volunteer Fire Department 1,064
Montgomery County Volunteer Fire Dept. 1,048
City of Athens Fire Department 1,039
Sullivan County Volunteer Fire Department 1,020
