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DeKalb County Fire Department


The DeKalb County Fire Department was established in 1975. Originally the Department had five substations located in rural communities across DeKalb County.

Since then we have added five more substations serving a total of ten communities and 12,615 people in the Center Hill Lake area of 254 square miles. We are an aggressive rural fire department consisting of 66 members of whom five are EMT’s, 12 are First Responders, and 48 are CPR/AED certified. In addition, we have 4 CPR/AED Instructors on staff. We are continuously recruiting volunteers who are willing to make a serious commitment to serving their community.

Annually our Department sends at least ten members to the Smokey Mountain Weekend Training in Sevierville, TN. We provide two Basic Firefighting schools (58 hours) each year in January and July. All recruits are required to complete the Basic Firefighting Course. Each month, the department provides 4 hours of hands-on training offered in two sessions so that firefighters with various work schedules can attend.

We operate four class A pumpers, three pumper/tanker combinations, three mini-pumpers, one 3,000 gallon tanker, and one equipment/First Response vehicle. We have an ISO Rating of 9.

Most recently, our department has organized the Center Hill Wildland Task Force. We now have equipment and training specifically geared for fighting fire in the wildland urban interface that has become so common in the Center Hill Lake area.

The DeKalb County Fire Department’s primary mission is to provide the most efficient and reliable fire protection service for all DeKalb County citizens on a non-discriminatory basis.

Our department is committed to providing a stable and trained membership of volunteer firefighters that are prepared to respond when needed. All firefighters are expected to participate in trainings, monthly meetings and community projects related to our tasks. The officers of the Department will assist local, state, and federal investigating agencies with fire incident investigations within our county.

The Department will strive to provide excellent public education programs for fire prevention and safety to schools, civic organizations and exhibition events. The Department keeps on hand brochures, videos and other materials that are used to relate the importance of fire safety and prevention. Public exhibitions will continue to be used to allow the citizens to see the effectiveness and preparedness of the Department and become acquainted with the Department’s operations and available equipment.

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