September 28, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
The DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department is the #1 all-volunteer fire department in the state of Tennessee for 2019-2020 training achievement. Of the 732 fire departments in Tennessee, both volunteer and career, DeKalb County Fire Department ranked # 22 for 2019-2020 training achievement.
This is the 12th consecutive year the DeKalb County Fire Department has been recognized as one of Tennessee’s elite fire departments for outstanding training achievement. This year, the department logged 2,131 training hours at the state fire academy and was recognized as a Gold Level fire department in Tennessee for 2019-2020.
DeKalb County Mayor Tim Stribling commended the department’s members and leaders for continuing to make the 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 12th 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,” said Mayor Stribling.
Chief Donny Green said he wants to personally commend Captain Brian Williams, the department’s Training Officer, for his leadership, planning and coordination of the department’s training activities in a manner that consistently spotlights the training program as among the top in the state; volunteer or career. The Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy provides excellent training programs delivered by professional and knowledgeable campus and field instructors. In addition to the 2,131 hours at the Academy, Captain Williams coordinated over 2,500 man hours of in “in-house” training. Chief Green said that without the support of County Mayor Stribling, the County Commission, the families of volunteer firefighters, the community and business partners, and the citizens of DeKalb County, the department could not have achieved this milestone. “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,” said 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 12 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 2019-2020
Platinum
Murfreesboro Fire & Rescue 11,192
Smyrna Fire Department 9,448
Nashville Fire Department 6,467
Williamson County Fire & Rescue 6,063
Johnson City Fire Department 5,763
Wilson County Fire Department 4,772
Lebanon Fire Department 4,400
Hendersonville Fire Department 4,310
Kingsport Fire Department 4,006
Gold
Cookeville Fire Department 3,793
Columbia Fire & Rescue 3,662
Martin Fire Department 2,905
Brentwood Fire & Rescue 2,824
Milan Fire Department 2,821
Franklin Fire Department 2,805
Tullahoma Fire Department 2,660
Fayetteville Fire Department 2,528
Sevierville Fire Department 2,325
LaVergne Fire Department 2,314
Pigeon Forge Fire Department 2,293
Montgomery County Fire & Rescue 2,240
DeKalb County Fire Department 2,131
Hardin County Fire Department 2,008
Silver
Putnam County Fire Department 1,814
Bartlett Fire Department 1,773
Clarksville Fire & Rescue 1,744
Greeneville Fire Department 1,683
Collierville Fire Department 1,641
Loudon County Fire & Rescue 1,639
Shelbyville Fire Department 1,634
Memphis Fire Department 1,619
Germantown Fire Department 1,614
Lenoir City Fire Department 1,554
Manchester Fire Department 1,545
Rutherford County Fire & Rescue 1,504
Bristol Fire Department 1,440
Jefferson City Fire Department 1,410
Elizabethton Fire Department 1,409
Jasper Highlands VFD 1,376
Pleasant View VFD 1,365
Bedford County Fire Department 1,324
Lincoln County VFD 1,263
Warriors Path VFD 1,249
McMinnville Fire Department 1,234
Lawrenceburg Fire Department 1,167
Maury County Rural Fire Department 1,138
Dyersburg Fire Department 1,137
New Market VFD 1,132
Maryville Fire Department 1,120
Selmer Fire Department 1,108
Cumberland County Fire Department 1,104
Sparta Fire Department 1,069
Oak Ridge Fire Department 1,029
Karns VFD 1,016