News Releases

Members of the Chattanooga Fire Department, including our off-duty operations chief, assisted someone having a medical emergency on the water over the Fourth of July weekend. Squad 19, Fire Boat 2, Battalion 2 and Battalion 3 (Red Shift) were dispatched to Lake Resort Drive on Monday and learned that CPR was underway on someone on a boat. Crews worked diligently to locate the boaters experiencing the emergency. Dallas Bay and TWRA also responded to help find the boat and the patient, as did CFD Operations Chief Rick Boatwright was in the area on his personal boat. Chief Boatwright radioed in that he had a visual on the boat and was riding alongside of it to aid them to the marina. The patient was removed from the boat, placed on a stretcher on the shore and taken to the hospital by HCEMS. We hope the patient is doing well and thank everyone who assisted during this incident.

Firefighters from Tennessee and Georgia received very important training in Chattanooga this week that will help save their lives should they ever find themselves trapped or lost while fighting a fire. Master instructors from the International Association of Firefighters taught the Fire Ground Survival (FGS) Class to members of several different fire departments over the course of four days. The Chattanooga Fire Department hosted the big event and used new equipment for the program, which was made possible by a grant. Twenty-eight firefighters from the CFD, Soddy Daisy FD, Cleveland FD, East Ridge FD, Oak Ridge FD, Catoosa County FD, Dalton FD, and Bradley County Fire-Rescue took part in the class. It culminated in a large training exercise at the recently-closed Hamilton County Jail on Friday morning where all of the skills learned during the week were put into practice. This was a “train the trainer” program so all of the participants were instructors. They can now take the knowledge learned in the class back to their individual departments to teach their own firefighters.

“We gave them skills so they know what to do when they’re in trouble. When they leave here, they’re going to train their firefighters what to do when they run into a situation where they’re trapped, entangled, etc. They will be able to share all of that information with their organization,” said Dorian Jackson, master instructor with the International Association of Firefighters.

This ensures consistent training to thousands firefighters in the area. FGS teaches skills that are essential to surviving in the event the firefighter is lost, disoriented, low on air, trapped, injured, or if they are experiencing an SCBA mask malfunction. It also teaches communications protocols during a firefighter emergency so that firefighters responding with other jurisdictions on automatic and mutual aid incidents know how to properly communicate with other fire agencies

Firefighters will not only be more aware of fire conditions, but most importantly, will be safer by being better prepared to respond to situations in which firefighters are fighting for survival. This training dealt with teaching firefighters survival skills of disentanglement, removing oneself from a hazardous environment by breaching and exiting through a wall, and self-rescuing out of an upper floor window. We appreciate the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office providing a location for Friday’s exercise.

“As the public is well aware, the jail closed June 1^st. The Sheriff’s Office will maintain control of this facility for a while and until a decision is made about what’s going to happen with the building, we’re utilizing it for public safety training,” explained Chief Deputy Austin Garrett. “We were more than glad to offer it for this class. Public safety is a partnership and we want our firefighters and our law enforcement officers, when the call comes in, to be able to respond with the best resources and training to save lives.”

The CFD worked with the Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program and the Chattanooga Fire Fighters Association to secure funding for a special trailer for this type of training. The department was lucky enough to receive the grant ($77,000) for the fire ground survival program and to purchase a new trailer which contains a number of different training props.

A Chattanooga woman has been charged with Reckless Endangerment following a fire at Parkridge Medical Center caused by her smoking in her hospital bed. Camelia Hutchinson, 41, was arrested in connection with the incident on June 10^, 2021. She endangered other patients and staff members in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit when she lit a cigarette while on oxygen. It caused a small fire that activated the sprinkler system and filled the hospital floor with smoke.

The sprinklers extinguished most of the flames, but there was still a small fire on Hutchinson’s bed. Hospital staff members took immediate action, rescuing Hutchinson and putting out the remainder of the fire with extinguishers. Other employees rushed to close the doors to other patients’ rooms to protect them from the smoke and assisted in evacuating patients to another area of the hospital.

Hutchinson was left with burns under her arm and on her side. Multiple rooms in the SICU sustained smoke and water damage. It was a jarring experience for other patients recovering from surgery and for Parkridge’s team working that night.

“There are consequences to your actions. She knew that smoking was not permitted in that hospital or any hospital. On top of the extensive damage she caused and injuries she sustained, she now faces criminal charges. I hope this sends a message to the public about just how serious it is to smoke around oxygen and inside of a medical facility,” said Captain Anthony Moore with the CFD’s Fire Investigation Division.

Lt. Tiffany Bird (Quint 10 Blue Shift) helped a person in need while on duty and her kind act did not go unnoticed by her fellow firefighters. It started when a guest came to the fire hall and explained his situation. He was traveling with his family and a belt had broken in one of his tires. He told Lt. Bird that a local tire shop had a used tire for $35, but he only had $5. He had asked everyone he knew for help before turning to the fire department. Lt. Bird and her crew examined the tire and found that there was a limited amount of drive time before complete failure. The crew went to the tire shop and she purchased the stranded gentleman a tire with her own money, and didn’t accept the $5 he was willing to contribute.

“I know without a doubt that she did this in complete silence with little regard for who knew or if she was acknowledged. This action is the very core of what service means and is. Not only that, but it sets an example of an officer to a young firefighter watching and listening. Her action hit every aspect of our mission statement. She led her crew to take action to help someone in need, she served a man who was in dire need of assistance, and she trained the future leaders of our department to take action above and beyond when possible. This is a reminder of why there is pride in being a Chattanooga firefighter,” stated Firefighter Joseph Millsaps.

Thank you for your kindness and compassion, Lt. Bird!