Jake Shaffner jokes around with Bobby “Pete” House as he pulls a truck out for House to see at Dallas Bay Fire and Rescue Department. House’s interest in firefighting led to Shaffner to becoming a volunteer firefighter.RELATED STORIES• ‘Pete’ recruits firefighting volunteersVOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS CALLSBY THE NUMBERS2007 -2008-2009-2010-2011 (Percent change)Dallas Bay: 750-808-1,035-1,595-1,692 (+125.6)Highway 58: 73-59-20-50-5 (-93.2)Mowbray: 71-97-86-129-180 (+153.5)Sale Creek: 227-338-236-385-360 (+58.6)Tri-Community: 1,127-1,390-1,600-1,850-2,143 (+90.15)Walden’s Ridge: 252-256-295-253-218 (-14.5)Source: Tennessee Fire Prevention Division of the Department of Commerce and InsuranceHAMILTON COUNTY POPULATION CHANGES2010 -2000 (Percentage change)County: 336,463-307,896 (9.3)Chattanooga: 167,674-155,554 (6.4)Source: U.S. Census BureauDALLAS BAY CALLSBY THE NUMBERSType of call: Frequency-Average response time (minutes)• Alarm system sounded due to malfunction: 42-3.43• Building fires: 28-4.04• Swift water rescue: 5-1.80• Vehicle accident with injuries: 99-2.68• Watercraft rescue: 23-7.26• Wind storm, tornado/hurricane assessment: 6-2.67/1,692-3.92• Rescue, emergency medical call (EMS) call, other: 1,073-4.04
Jake Shaffner lays down his head each night after work and studying, knowing he’ll likely be awakened in a short time.
The beeper message will be urgent.
Maybe a house fire, a car crash or a stroke.
And the 21-year-old will pull himself up from his wooden bunk, open his bedroom door and climb into either the fire engine or medical truck parked outside.