Over a year ago, the Gordon County Fire-Rescue Department took possession of a donated, used Atlanta Gas Light vehicle.  "It has been a project in the making," said Assistant Fire Chief Byron Sutton.

"When Atlanta Gas Light receives new vehicles for their fleet, they like to donate the used ones to public service agencies such as ours," says Chief Sutton.  "Captain Heath Smith made some calls and he and Fire Chief David Hawkins were able to secure this vehicle for our fleet."

"We've had the vehicle for a year or so.  With the economy the way it is, and our budget as tight as it has been the last couple of years, it's taken a little longer than we would have liked to obtain the necessary exterior emergency lighting and other necessary equipment.  The biggest hold up was getting it repainted.  It went from Atlanta Gas Light's blue and white to what you see today.  We were able to save the cost of labor on the paint job by allowing the Georgia Department of Corrections inmate program to paint it for us.  We had to wait some time for them to work it in to their schedule, but they did a good job," Chief Sutton said.

So, what's the plan for it now that it's complete?  Chief Sutton says, "It will serve the department as a service vehicle, with the vehicle designation of Service 1.  We've already placed equipment on the apparatus that was a benefit to the department during the recent ISO inspection.  There is specific extra equipment that can be carried to the scene of an incident that ISO gives us credit for if we have it; equipment such as spare breathing air cylinders, lighting, ladders, salvage covers, just to name a few."

"I'd like to extend my gratitude to all those who've had a hand in getting this vehicle ready for service.  Captain Heath Smith and Chief Hawkins for working so diligently to obtain the vehicle and having it painted; the Georgia Department of Corrections for their work on painting the vehicle; Southern Fire Service and Sales of Jasper, GA for their expertise in applying the emergency light package; Baldy's Muffler for repair of the exhaust system; Tracy Thompson of Thompson Business Services for the striping and lettering; and to the rest of those in the department for placing of equipment, etc. 

She's got some age on her, but I"m sure she's glad to have a good home, rather than sitting in a bone yard somewhere.  Furthermore, we're glad to have her, said Chief Sutton. 

 

Gordon County Fire/Rescue recently selected two members as Firefighter of the Year for 2011.  Each year, one member is selected from the career employees of the department as the 'Career Firefighter of the Year' and one member from the volunteer corps as the 'Volunteer Firefighter of the Year.'

 

 

Five members of the Gordon County Fire-Rescue Departmentrecently completed the National Registry Paramedic curriculum on a “fast-track.” Most Paramedic programs take up to a year to complete, but these five firefighters completed the program in only nine months.

Members of the Murray County Fire Department, as well as EMT-I’s from other agencies, attended classes at the Murray County Fire Department Training Facility in Chatsworth. Each individual completed the required classroom hours, as well as the required clinical hours at area hospitals and ambulance services. Members of the class each completed 480 hours of classroom lecture hours, 254 hours of lab skills, and 388 hours of clinical hours in area hospitals and EMS services. “All five of these men made the decision to pursue this certification on their own time and money and we are ecstatic about their dedication and determination. Most of these guys were all but estranged from their families for these nine months. We know their wives and kids are glad to have them back, and Chief Hawkins and I couldn’t be more proud of each of them,” said Assistant Chief Byron Sutton.

Although the Gordon County Fire-Rescue Department only operates Basic Life Support engine companies, having firefighters trained to the next EMT level gives us the ability to assist Gordon EMS with advanced life support skills as necessary, once the ambulance arrives on scene. One more Paramedic on the scene is always an added benefit. Each of these guys have each passed their Georgia State Board testing and are all now Nationally Registered, and Georgia State Certified Paramedics. Pictured are Firefighter/EMT-P’s Andrew Cornwell, Marshall Green, Josh Robinson, Jonathan Pressley, and Daniel Smith.

 

 

The Gordon County Fire Department has initiated a program to help save lives by making it easier for emergency personnel to locate addresses during an emergency.

The fire department is offering marker posts with your address number displayed in highly reflective material and large numbers.

According to Firefighter Jonathan Pressley, drivers of emergency vehicles have a hard time finding homes with poorly displayed house numbers.  Homes off of rural streets and densely packed housing, such as mobile home parks can be a real challenge at night and can delay the arrival of help by several minutes.