JOHN COFFELTEditor

Volunteer firefighters face mounting loans, expensive equipment and daily struggles to provide the only fire protection available for rural residents

North Coffee Volunteer firefighters are committed to providing fire service to one of Coffee County’s largest districts. That commitment means showing up all hours of the day or night when the page goes out that there is a fire. That also means preventing or at least limiting the amount of damage that can happen by presenting safety information in the community, distributing fire safety information at local schools and installing free smoke alarms in residents’ homes.

North Coffee volunteer firefighter, Lt. Alan Vinson said that he and his fellow firefighters are driven by the desire to help people.

“If we weren’t here going this, then no one would show up,” Vinson said. “I get great satisfaction helping people on their worst day. We try show up and try to make that day better.”

Vinson said the concept of giving back to community and individuals donating their time is becoming a thing of years gone by.

North Coffee firefighter Dennis Banks said Chief Greg Wright has responded to at least 350 calls since taking the reins of the department a few years ago.

Wright humbly leads the department, following long-time chief Leon Arnold as chief. It serves 98 square miles, operating on a small contribution from the county and subsidizing that with funds raised by the volunteers.

The department supplements fundraising efforts by installing 911 driveway markers for addresses in the district to raise money and accepts donation.

“It’s a struggle,” Wright said. “The fire business is expensive. The county is better helping out…We are strictly volunteer, have about 14 members.”

Each of those volunteers’ turnout gear costs $3,100 and are only rated for 10 years of service. Tires, likewise, are only good for seven, regardless of the mileage.

Equipment comes a cost to the members. Each of the county’s rural fire departments are a private nonprofit, not an entity of the county.

“If we have to borrow money, it takes the signatures of the trustees on that loan as guarantors,” Wright said. “If it is defaulted on, it goes to the trustees. They are the ones the banks come after.”

Wright said the station is in the process of trying to get a new substation in Beech Grove and expand the main fire hall to have living quarters.

“We’ve taken baby steps,” he said. “It’s getting there.”

Wright is a 24-year veteran of the force.

“It’s in my blood,” he said. “It has to be in your blood to work for free.”

Wright said being a volunteer firefighter has to be prioritized over other hobbies an individual might have.

“I tell all my new applicants that this is your first hobby,” he said. “It comes before fishing, golfing, or all that.”

Each firefighter is required to pass preliminary training, then maintain in-service hours of training each year.

In addition to fires in the North Coffee Area, all the county rural volunteers have mutual aid agreements with each other. In the event of a structure fire, units will respond to help out with equipment, manpower and often much needed water.

Adequate fire flow is problematic in most of the county. When the waterlines were ran, many areas, especially in the norther side of the county, have hydrants that feed off of water mains too small to provide flow for fire protection. Mutual aid tanker trucks are needed to keep the hoses flowing.

“You hold it down with what you got until trucks start showing up,” Wright said.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.