News Releases

Downtown Green Shift companies immediately started a 24-hour shift with a house fire. At 7 AM on 12/30/23, a neighbor called 911 to report that the back of a home was on fire in the 1200 block of East 34th Street. The neighbor was unsure if anyone was inside the burning residence, but went to knock on the door just in case. Quint 14’s crew arrived and found a working structure fire. Other responding units worked together to establish a water supply and attack the fire as searches of the house were conducted. No one was found inside. Once the fire was out, firefighters moved into overhaul. There’s significant damage and the cause of the blaze is under investigation. There were no injuries. Quint 14, Engine 9, Ladder 1, Quint 1, Squad 1, Battalion 1, and Battalion 3 responded, along with CPD, HCEMS and EPB.

New technology and equipment are enhancing the Chattanooga Fire Department’s operations and 2024 will bring even more opportunities to improve our life-saving response capabilities. In 2023, the CFD responded to more than 24,500 calls, including approximately 220 structure fires, over 9,300 EMS calls, and more than 1,900 motor vehicle crashes. There were also 1500+ “Assist a Citizen” calls. In total, firefighters saved $174, 885,000 in property from fire damage. In comparison, our department responded to 24,424 calls in 2022 with 291 structure fires, 8,820 EMS calls, 1,850 MVCs, and 2,204 “Assist a Citizen” responses.

Chattanooga Fire is now using “First Due,” our new records management system. It tracks our staffing and incident reporting. In addition, we are using “First Arriving” which is a digital dashboard tool for response mapping, internal messaging, training, and event scheduling. Our nearly 50-year-old training tower has been demolished and construction will start in the spring on a 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 2023, the CFD was honored to be highlighted during the Fire-Rescue International Conference, showcasing our technical rescue capabilities, our collaboration with regional response agencies, and our ever-growing community involvement.

The CFD’s new deployable swift water team has been selected and their equipment has been received, including inflatable boats, dry suits, life vests, and ropes. Training begins in early spring for team members. New battery-operated Makita tools are being used by our firefighters, as well as new concrete cutting equipment, a new gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer for hazmat incidents, and new struts for stabilization. The CFD’s new drone unit is now a deployable asset. The drone team provides assistance on the scene of fires, hazmat incidents, search & rescue operations on land, training events, and water rescues. The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Hazmat Team is now an accredited Type 1 Hazardous Materials Team. It includes members of the Chattanooga Fire Department and Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management/Hazmat. It’s the highest level of certification for a hazmat team and it’s one of only two in the state.

Construction continues on Station 15 in the Eastdale community. The CFD broke ground in June 2023 and the new 9,500 square foot fire hall on Shallowford Road will have space to accommodate more personnel and apparatus, allowing for further expansion of the fire department as Chattanooga continues to grow in population. The new Fire Station 15 blueprint will be a model design for future fire station builds as the CFD works to meet the city’s increased service needs, including a new location in Black Creek. Nine new firefighter positions have already been added to the department for a presence and fire protection in that area with more personnel to come in future budget years. A location has been identified for a new Station 14 in Saint Elmo and CFD leadership will be requesting capital funding in the next budget for construction.

A new squad truck is now at Station 13 on Brainerd Road. It has improved response in a very busy area of Chattanooga and allows firefighters to better conduct vehicle extrications and technical rescues by providing more space and more efficient placement of equipment. Additional new fire trucks are headed to the Scenic City. The CFD has 10 on order. Six of them should arrive in late 2024 as the city and command staff work together to replace elements of our aging fleet.

Training was once again a top priority in 2023. There was a company officer development course, multi-company drills, and a focus on Urban Search & Rescue. In addition to taking part in a full-scale aircraft disaster drill at the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, an active shooter drill at Chattanooga State, and the state’s largest active shooter drill at Volkswagen Chattanooga, the CFD hosted an 80-hour structural collapse course, 16-hour regional extrication techniques course, confined space rescue courses, trench rescue classes and rope rescue training. We graduated a 26-person academy in July 2023 and those new firefighters have been hard at work in our fire companies, making a difference in their community. In 2024, we will train and welcome another group of fire cadets into the CFD family. Our next fire academy starts on January 26, 2024 with 33 recruits.

“It’s an exciting time for the Chattanooga Fire Department as we continue advancing in many different areas thanks to the support of Mayor Kelly’s administration and our city council,” said Fire Chief Phil Hyman. “We are modernizing and adapting to serve Chattanooga in the best possible way and our dedicated firefighters are at the forefront of those efforts, making a difference on every call.”

Red Shift had a kitchen fire out in ten minutes at this home on Fox Drive on Christmas Eve. Firefighters responded to this residence in the 3000 block at 9:15 AM. Smoke was showing on arrival. Crews established a water supply and made a quick interior attack. There were no injuries to the residents or firefighters, but one pet perished despite firefighters’ efforts to revive it on the scene.

There was a joint response to a brush fire in Lookout Valley Saturday night with multiple agencies assisting the CFD. At 6:15 PM on 12/23/23, Green Shift companies responded to 20 Birmingham Highway for a woods fire at a homeless encampment behind the Red Roof Inn. Red Bank and Dallas Bay’s UTVs were brought out to help fight the vegetation fire. Forestry and the Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management were also on the scene to provide additional manpower, equipment, resources and expertise. Drones were used to show the size of the fire and aided with extinguishment efforts. Approximately two acres burned on the hillside. With all of the agencies working together for several hours, firefighters got the fire under control. Forestry widened their fire break. UTV’s from several different departments were in the woods spraying water with a dozer. Tanker 3 supplied them with water. Crews continued working on the scene late Saturday night.