DUNLAP, Tenn. -- The alarms were silent. The rescue trucks and fire engines were tucked neatly away in their stations.
But inside the Dunlap fire station, Scotty Holland and his peers were taking a test on how to extinguish a fire inside a structure.
In order to align with Tennessee's new regulations for volunteer firefighter training, volunteers from six local departments were participating in a weekly three-hour training class.
New volunteers must take 16 hours of free training to be certified. All volunteers must take 64 more hours within three years at a cost of $95 and participate in a live burn at the Tennessee Fire Academy in Bell Buckle.
Mr. Holland, the Fredonia Fire Department assistant chief, said he can afford to pay for the training but several of his volunteers can't.
"It's good that we get all the training we can have, but if they're going to mandate it, I think they should supply it at no charge," he said.
Most rural communities and some cities in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia depend on volunteer firefighters. Several other area chiefs agreed that the new regulations will be costly and time-consuming for volunteers who already juggle full-time jobs.
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Staff Photo by Jake Daniels/Chattanooga Times Free Press Kurt Sharbaugh, in black, Stephen Berry, with glasses, and Morgan Wynne, in baseball cap, take a review before firefighting class begins. Eighteen volunteer firefighters from three counties and six different departments participated in a training session at the Dunlap Fire Station on Thursday evening.
"Most of your small towns can't afford the training," said South Pittsburg Fire Chief Freddie Cook.
But officials at the Tennessee Fire Academy say the mandatory training is necessary to correct a gaping hole in volunteer state regulations.
Before the rules were adopted, Tennessee didn't require any training for volunteer firefighters, said Roger Hawks, Fire Services and Code Enforcement Academy director.
"The person that does your nails and does your hair would have to go to school for 18 months to learn their trade, and the people in the fire service wouldn't have to go at all," Mr. Hawks said.
The state also is helping communities meet the regulations, he said. The 16-hour course is offered free at the academy and by request at local departments.
Some cities, including Dunlap, have budgeted the cost to provide training locally instead of having volunteers drive to Bell Buckle.
"We had to get them in somewhere," said Dunlap Capt. Wayne Snyder.
Most fire departments train their own career and volunteer staff, but the state regulations are a good idea, said Dayton Fire Assistant Chief Justin Jackson.
The Dayton Fire Department has 10 full-time firefighters and 21 volunteers, he said, acknowledging that the brunt of the burden will fall on communities and cities with no paid fire staff.
"It does make it hard for the volunteers," Mr. Jackson said. "The guys put in so much time and we're asking them to do more."
Fire departments have three years to comply with the state regulations, and some counties are exempt, said Dawn Crawford, Tennessee Municipal League Risk Management executive director.
Christopher Garrett, Fire Services and Code Academy spokesman, said Bledsoe, Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, Rhea and Polk counties asked to be exempt from the regulations. He said several of the counties can opt back in if their county commissions vote to do so.
Mr. Jackson said the Dayton Fire Department decided to voluntarily participate in the state regulations.
GEORGIA VOLUNTEER REGULATIONS
In Georgia, officials say they are working to increase volunteer regulations passed in 2004.
Volunteers are required to cover 14 categories on basic fire training, said Chad Cobb, Georgia Fire Academy public safety manager 2.
The Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council is drafting a plan that would raise the volunteer requirements but not necessarily increase the hours of training, said Walker County Fire Chief Randy Camp, a member of the council.
"There's no requirements to demonstrate your life safety-skills," Chief Camp said, adding that under present rules, firefighters must only pass a written test.
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Joy Lukachick covers crime in North Georgia for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. She started working at the paper in July 2009 as an intern. Raised near the Bayou, Joy’s hometown is along the outskirts of Baton Rouge, La. She has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Louisiana State University. While at LSU, Joy was a staff writer for the Daily Reveille. When Joy isn't chasing down stories, she is a full-time supporter of ...
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