Kingsport Fire Department Assists with Gatlinburg Fires

On November 28, our friends and neighbors in Gatlinburg, TN sent out the call for help containing a wildfire that had spread throughout their community. Kingsport is blessed with a great group of firefighters who were willing to answer that call.

The first call went out at 7:17 p.m. on Monday evening and only 13 minutes later at 7:30 p.m, a team of five firefighters and an engine truck were already in place and heading to help. A new crew of five or 6 firefighters was sent every night for the next four nights. They worked 24-30 hours before a crew arrived to relieve them. All Kingsport firefighters returned home by December 3^rd.

The Kingsport Fire Dept. had a total of 825 man hours assisting. They worked search/rescue efforts, fought fires, and assisted with clean-up operations.

Scott Boyd
Scott Boyd,  serves as the “District Coordinator for Mutual Aid” covering 8 counties and includes all fire departments and rescue squads. When the Gatlinburg needed help, he immediately took action. He coordinated and sent crews/vehicles to assist by working closely with TEMA (TN Emergency Management Agency).Scott Boyd worked tirelessly to coordinate firefighters and apparatus going to Gatlinburg. He fielded over 300 calls to set up the teams for deployment and handled over 1,000 calls during the week. He also left on Thursday to help in Gatlinburg and returned last Friday night.

Thank you Scott for your dedication and hard work!