With new technology, new trucks and new facilities, the Chattanooga Fire Department is ready for the new year. In 2024, the CFD responded to more than 23,000 calls, including 400+ structure fires, over 7,800 EMS calls, and more than 1,861 motor vehicle crashes. There were also more than 1560 “Assist a Citizen” calls. In total, firefighters saved $404,779,271 in property from fire damage. In comparison, our department responded to more than 24,500 calls in 2023, including approximately 220 structure fires, over 9,300 EMS calls, more than 1,900 motor vehicle crashes and 1500+ “Assist a Citizen” calls.
With the support of our city leadership, the CFD has been making major changes to our hiring process. Our hiring age has been lowered to 18 and we are looking for a positive vote in the Spring on our residency requirements. The City Council has already approved the change and it heads to the ballot in March 2025. Being able to hire candidates from other nearby states will allow us to have the best quality candidates. The CFD will receive four new pumpers in the spring and more trucks on the way in the fall of 2025. In 2024, we received a new quint, ladder truck, brush trucks and UTVs to better enhance response capabilities by replacing elements of our aging fleet. The finishing touches are being placed on our new training tower at our training center off Amnicola Highway. The new state-of-the-art structure that will be used by firefighters from across the region to hone their skills. The $3 million replacement tower is a joint project between the city and county. It will simulate realistic scenarios for future and current firefighters with a variety of different props and features.
In October 2024, the CFD celebrated the grand opening of the new Station 15 in the Eastdale community. The $5 million fire station replaced a 63-year-old building. The two-bay fire station is a 9,500 square foot building with space to accommodate more personnel and apparatus, allowing for further expansion of the fire department as Chattanooga continues to grow in population. It also boasts new technologies to provide faster response times and protective measures for emergency responders and their equipment. The new Fire Station 15 will be a model design for future fire station builds as the CFD continues working to meet the city’s increased service needs. Plans for a new Fire Station 14 in St. Elmo are underway. Half of the funding for the replacement project has been secured and a new location has been chosen. We hope to break ground in 2025.
Our new swiftwater rescue team is active and CFD officials are working on their credentialing in order for them to be a state asset. We are in the planning and training stages for the development of a wildland fire team to combat brush fires. The end goal is for the wildland team to be a deployable asset like our swiftwater team. Dozens of our firefighters traveled to the hardest hit areas in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene to help with rescue, recovery and clean-up efforts. Promotional testing is slated to begin in early spring for the next round of lieutenants, captains and battalion chiefs. The CFD is also about to overhaul all of our firefighting nozzles because our current nozzles are more than 20 years old. The long-term health and safety of our firefighters continues to be a top priority with free esophageal cancer screenings provided for all of our crews in 2024. More cancer screenings will be provided in 2025 through grant funding that will screen for multiple cancers. In July 2024, we graduated 27 new firefighters who have been a huge asset to our department. Our 2025 academy starts January 24th with 37 cadets. We are excited about the future and proud of the enhancements that have been made in 2024.
“A special thanks to the Chattanooga Fire Firefighters Association Local 820, Brothers United (Chattanooga Chapter of the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters), the Chattanooga Mayor’s Office, our City Council, our community partners, and Mayor Tim Kelly for all of their support in all of the different initiatives we’ve achieved this past year,” said Fire Chief Phil Hyman.
