Chattanooga leaders and citizens came together Monday to celebrate a milestone and give thanks to an institution that has helped to keep the city safe for 150 years – the Chattanooga Fire Department.
“We want to honor the department’s rich history and the generations of firefighters who have dedicated their lives to answering the call for help,” Chattanooga Fire Department Chief Phil Hyman said as he opened a news conference at the Chattanooga Police & Fire Pension Fund on John Douglass Drive.
“The men and women of the CFD have been here to assist and provide support in many ways for the past 150 years, whether fighting fires or preventing them, providing emergency medical assistance or searching for victims with our urban search and rescue teams or even something as simple as rescuing the family pet. The CFD was there to help,” he said.
(READ MORE: First hall of fame class shows ever-changing firefighting history in Chattanooga)
Since its founding in 1871, the fire department has grown to now respond to an estimated 19,000 emergency calls a year, according to the Chattanooga.gov website.