Walden’s Ridge Emergency Services  is made up of more than 50 dedicated volunteers who are on call around the clock to quickly respond to fires and provide medical assistance throughout our community. Additionally, many WRES members are part of an award-winning rope rescue team.

For decades, these highly skilled individuals have helped countless injured or lost hikers, bikers, and even motorists who have driven off the pavement in the Town of Walden, unincorporated parts of Hamilton County, and, more recently, new biking trails at Walden’s Ridge Park. To prepare for rescues large and small, they complete 40 hours of rigorous rope operations training, as well as 40-50 hours of intensive technical instruction. Drills and training exercises are held throughout the year to maintain their skills and stay updated on rope rescue practices.

In turn, these volunteers rely on specialized equipment to ensure the safety of both rescuers and those being rescued. Recently, WRES received a grant from Hamilton County that will allow us to make rescues more efficient and faster than ever before, according to Capt. Jason Lockery, a volunteer with WRES for the past 21 years.

“We’ve always been fortunate to have a large amount of equipment, and it has evolved through the years as new techniques are developed and learned,” Lockery says. “This Hamilton County grant allows us to replace aging equipment with up-to-date and lighter equipment than we’ve had in the past.”

For example, the upgrade includes new 11-millimeter ropes and supporting devices, such as lightweight carabiners, pulleys, ascenders, descenders and helmets - a significant improvement over the existing, aging equipment. “The upgrade reduces the weight rescuers must carry by approximately 25 percent, and we have fewer components to change out,” Lockery adds.

Considering it is not unusual for the team to carry the equipment one to five miles, in steep and uneven terrain, to reach a victim, the improvements will be well received by all. “There are all types of places people discover to get injured or stuck,” Lockery, who has been on hundreds of rescue calls, says. “Rarely does a rescue take place in a parking lot.”

Staying Safe
The best-case scenario is that WRES does not have to put this new rope rescue equipment to use. Captain Lockery, also a local Boy Scouts of America scoutmaster, offers a few tips to keep in mind before hitting the trail.

“Always have a plan so you know where you’re going,” Lockery says. “Tell people where you are going and what time you will be back. Carry a map or some other navigation device. Do not depend on a phone app because phone signals get lost in the woods. Pack food, water and a flashlight in case you are lost overnight - and a cell phone is not a good light source.”

If you do get lost, he says to follow the S.T.O.P. acronym:

• Stay put - it is easier for rescuers to find a stationary person than one who is moving.
• Think - Consider what resources you have if the situation extends overnight.
• Observe - Take note of your surroundings and shelter options.
• Plan - Determine what you can do to conserve energy and be comfortable.

In case you or someone else is injured during a hike or biking accident, or for any emergency, call 911. It is always the fastest way to get first responders to the site for immediate help.

Volunteer and Donate
To volunteer or donate to WRES call (423) 886-5974, visit www.WRES.org, or message us on Facebook.
WRES is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, and your tax-deductible donation helps save millions in local taxes. We would also love to see you at WRES Station One on Taft Highway any Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. when we have our weekly drill.
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by WRES Volunteer staff

With emergency services, sometimes there is never a dull moment. For example, the month of May turned out to be a never-dull month. Hats off to the many volunteers who respond to these calls, day or night, and always find a way to mitigate a disaster.

Friday, May 3, was the scheduled night for rope rescue refresh training. It is always good to get your hands dirty (so to speak) once in a while to keep our skills fresh and at the top of our minds. When you are on an emergency scene, it is never the time to try and remember whether something goes inside or outside or if a water knot is the right knot for a certain type of support. At any rate, these updated skills are best deployed without having to think.

We were called to the Rainbow Lake area as part of a search-and-rescue. Despite their best efforts, members of the Signal Mountain Fire Department quickly found the first family member underwater but were not able to revive her. It took a larger team to search for the other family member who went underwater in an attempt to save the girl who first slipped and went underwater. This was a tragic event for the families involved and a reminder to all who participated that not all the emergencies we encounter end with a happy result.   

But, some do end with much better results. After a night of training, we were called the next day to assist in the rescue of a missing person. A family reported that they had become separated from a child while hiking near the Middle Creek trail head on Suck Creek Road. With the help of Hamilton County Emergency Services, Hamilton County STARS, Signal Mountain Fire Department, and the Hamilton County EMS and Sheriff’s Department, the juvenile was located unharmed and successfully reunited with the family. These outcomes are the reason we train so we can have more good results for our own peace of mind.
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If any of you reading this column find this interesting and think you may be able to help contribute to our success, we certainly invite your participation to become a volunteer. At WRES, we are not just a fire department - we are a comprehensive provider of emergency services. As a volunteer, you are not required to know everything about everything, but you could learn a lot about one thing that we do and be a valuable member of our team. This could be firefighting, emergency medical response, technical rope rescue or search-and-rescue, and some people are just great at arriving at a scene and providing support. It all helps.
If you would like to know more, stop by our Station One at 2100 Taft Highway any Thursday night at 6:30 p.m., call us at (423) 886-5974 and leave a message or send a note of inquiry to [email protected]. We would be happy to answer all your questions. But, as always, if you have an emergency of even think you might be having an emergency, always call 911 for the fastest response.

As we enter in the almost-spring season on the mountain, we are always glad to see the daffodils and warmer weather arrive. Which means people will start using the Walden’s Ridge Park, and we need to plan for any incidents. We continue to be good stewards of your donations and always appreciate the support.
Open burning is allowed in Hamilton County until April 30. Please obtain your burn permit and be aware of the requirements of open burning. You are allowed to burn brush and leaves and other items from your yard. You are not allowed to burn trash, hazardous materials like treated lumber or other construction materials. These items are for the trash and not open burning.
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We also very much appreciate notice that you will be burning. We received notice a few weeks ago that residents would be burning some brush and leaves along the brow. Burning close to brow is visible from the valley, and, sure enough, we got a call from someone calling from their car on Mountain Creek Road to report that they could see smoke and fire on the mountain. Well, we are glad to know that people are paying attention, and we always appreciate an early call versus a later call. And, we very much appreciate our residents letting us know they will be burning so we don’t get too excited about a call like this when we know there will be some open burning in the area.

When you do burn your brush and natural vegetation, please also follow the guidelines of your burn permit. Never leave the fire unattended. Winds do change on the mountain, and a small fire can get out of control very quickly. Also, you are not allowed to leave your fire burning after 4 p.m. in the afternoon, so please have a plan for putting out your fire before this time.

Recently, WRES met with members of the Chattanooga Fire Department, Hamilton County Emergency Management and Homeland Security and Hamilton County EMS to discuss Walden’s Ridge Park. Walden’s Ridge Park is the new hiking, biking and bouldering park on the side of Signal between the W Road and Mountain Creek Road. The folks from SORBA Chattanooga have developed the park map and trails in conjunction with Hamilton County Parks and Recreation. Accidents do occur with these activities, and we want to get ahead of this issue in case something happens. Thus, we are prepared with a well-coordinated and safe response with all agencies involved.

We completed our annual fundraiser and always appreciate the community support. Community support is key to our success, and we were honored recently by the Walden’s Ridge Community Guild. Mary Catherine O’Kelly of the WRCG came to Station One and presented a check to Tracey Thornton, membership chair of WRES. Many thanks to the Guild for their donation and support.

To contact WRES, you can stop by Station One on Taft Highway next to Ace Hardware any Thursday night at 7 p.m. when we conduct our weekly training or contact us via our Facebook page or call the station at (423) 886-5974 and leave us a message. However, if you have an emergency or even think you may need some assistance, always call 911 for immediate assistance.

As we enter in the almost-spring season on the mountain, we are always glad to see the daffodils and warmer weather arrive. We were in high hopes of our high call volume slowing down this year, but that has not been the case so far in 2023. We continue to be good stewards of your donations and always appreciate the support.

Open burning is allowed in Hamilton County until April 30. Before burning, please obtain your burn permit and be aware of the requirements of open burning. You are allowed to burn brush and leaves and other items from your yard. You are not allowed to burn trash, hazardous materials like treated lumber or other construction materials.

We also very much appreciate notice that you will be burning. We were notified a few weeks ago that residents would be burning some brush and leaves along the brow. Sure enough, we got a call from someone calling from their car on Mountain Creek Road to say that they could see smoke and fire on the mountain. Well, we are glad to know that people are paying attention, and we always appreciate an early call versus a later call. Know that we very much appreciate our residents letting us know they will be burning so we don’t get too excited about a phone call like this.

When you do burn your brush and natural vegetation, please follow the guidelines of your burn permit. Never leave the fire unattended. Winds change on the mountain, and something can get out of control very quickly. Also, you are not allowed to leave your fire burning after 4 p.m. in the afternoon so please have a plan for putting out your fire before this time.

Last year, we ran a record number of calls, with over 400 emergency calls reported. This is more than one a day, which is higher than normal for us. We seem to be starting off this year with the trend continuing, averaging at least one call per day. Now, these are not all emergencies that require a huge response, but every call is important. Most of the calls we run are for citizen assists or medical emergencies. These are legitimate calls, and we take them seriously. If you are having a medical emergency, yes, please call 911. If you cannot get up or out of your car for some reason, yes, please call 911, and we will be there to assist.

We completed our annual fundraiser and always, always appreciate the community support.  Running an all-volunteer fire department may not sound like a financially stressful burden, but at times, it can be. As a fire service, we operate under the guidelines of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), which sets the standards for all fire departments in the U.S. and, to keep our insurance and for the general safety of our members, we have to follow NFPA guidelines. For example, we have to pressure test the pumps on our firetrucks every year to confirm that they meet the current standard. We then document this testing to show to the Insurance Services Office our fire service rating, which affects all of our residents’ homeowners insurance policy pricing.

Imagine, with all the vehicles we operate, how many feet of large and small fire hose we have to carry. We have to pressure test this hose every year to insure it meets the current standards, but we also have to track the age of this hose. The National Fire Protection Association has a standard that dictates firehose can only be used for a set amount of years. So, despite the fact that this hose looks good and performs properly when tested, when it hits a certain age, we are required to replace that hose with new hose. We do this to maintain our ISO ratings and for the safety of our members who use this hose, although it can run into thousands of dollars for this replacement. Know that your donations are what allow us to keep up with the standards and help keep our volunteers safe, so thank you.
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To contact WRES, you can stop by Station One on Taft Highway next to Ace Hardware any Thursday night at 7 p.m. when we conduct our weekly training; visit our Facebook page; or call the station at (423) 886-5974 and leave us a message. However, if you have an emergency or even think you may need some assistance, always call 911 for immediate assistance.

Greetings to all on the Mountain. We at WRES are glad to see the last year close out as we look forward to 2023. In 2022, we ran a record number of calls. Over 400 calls in one year is a lot for our department, and that could possibly be the record number of calls we have received in one year.  Not that any of you are more careless, but the population increase in the unincorporated areas of the mountain could explain much of the increase we have experienced.

So, let’s close out 2022 with some good news, and then say good riddance. We were able to stop running calls long enough to enjoy an annual celebration and banquet. This is something our board of directors organizes as an annual thank you to our members. This event is also an opportunity for our leadership team to recognize members for their outstanding accomplishments.

Russ Harwood and Dax Turner both received the Decade Award for 10 years of service to the department. Chief James Hillis selected Patricia Ford for the annual Chief’s Award. Lieutenant Robert Clark was named the winner of the Dr. J.J. Dodd Medical Award. The Captain Sib Evans Leadership Award was earned by Capt. Jody Clift and Capt. Sherman Ford. It is a great honor to receive this award that was named for Capt. Sib Evans. Every year, the membership votes on one member to be named the Volunteer of the Year. This is prestigious because it is an acknowledgement from one’s peers. The 2022 Volunteer of the Year Award was given to Patrick Halstead. Congratulations to all award winners!

While being a volunteer in an emergency service is rarely fun and games, there are times when it actually can be! In December, we were asked to host a birthday party and show some kids around the station and introduce them to the service. Happy Birthday, Estella!  We enjoyed hosting you and your friends for your special day.

As we continue into winter, please be careful with your open fires and your home heating. Yes, we do get brush fires this time of year despite the wet, chilly weather. And, we also send a reminder that the No. 1 cause of house fires in Tennessee last year was someone leaving a cooking pot on the stove unattended. Yeah, that is a crazy but true statistic, so please be mindful when cooking and do not to leave items on the stove by themselves even for a minute.

We are always looking for volunteers to assist at WRES, so this is your chance to get involved. No, you do not have to be a physically fit young person to make a difference at this volunteer service. With our new station, we need help with record keeping, general maintenance around the station, vehicle maintenance and a host of other “non-emergency” activities that can be done. If you would like to be involved, please don’t hesitate to reach out for more information.
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We also invite comments from the residents we serve.  You are welcome to call Station One at (423) 886-5974 and leave a message, stop by any Thursday night at 7 p.m. when we hold our weekly drill on Taft Highway or reach out to us through our Facebook page and leave us a message.   ​

Happy New Year to everyone on the Mountain!  We have certainly enjoyed the holiday season and hope you and your families were able to spend time together and enjoy each other – safely, of course!

Once again, we have completed our annual fund drive. We only do this once a year and only request donations by mail. While we do get funds from Hamilton County for fuel and capital expenses, and the Town of Walden is very generous with funds for our operations, we could always use a little more to enhance our operations and safety. Although we have a budget in excess of $100,000, more than 20 percent of that goes just to cover the annual cost of insurance. We exist and prosper as an emergency department due to the support we receive from the residents of Signal Mountain and very much appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you!

We hope you sincerely enjoyed the holiday spirit that was on display at Station One this past December. We participated in the Signal Mountain Window Contest put on by Real Estate Partners and took the challenge to heart. We put a Red Ryder BB gun under the tree, and displayed a firefighter rescuing Flick because his tongue was stuck to the flag pole. We hope the swirl of lights on the Station was not too distracting as you passed on the highway! Thanks to everyone who voted for us in the contest.

December is also the month we choose a new slate of officers to run operations at WRES. Jimmy Hillis remains our chief, and Jim Gault is our deputy chief. Randall Hawkins will continue as assistant chief of the department. Captain Jody Clift will remain our training officer and will be joined by Lt. David Atkinson. Training positions are often the most difficult and overlooked positions but one of the most important for the good of all members! Other appointments are Lt. Robert Clark, Lt. Sam Guin, Capt. Jason Lockery, and Capt. Sherman Ford. Together, these officers represent years and years of service, so know that your local emergency service is in good hands for the coming year.

Capt. Gary Sivley stepped down as caption of Station Two, and we would like to thank him for his years of service. He will remain with the department and serve the community as a firefighter.

We would also like to acknowledge the great service of Patrick Stocker. Patrick and his wife are moving out of state, and we will miss his organizational and administrative skills, which are crucial to maintaining our ISO ratings.

If you happen to have great organization skills and are good at administrative tasks and want to know how you can help WRES, well, this may be your chance! Not everyone who is a member of the department is a trained firefighter or medical technician. We also have a role for those who want to be involved but have no desire to ever jump into bunker gear and climb onto a truck to run a call at any hour of the day or night. There are business and administrative tasks that we are required to complete monthly. Here is your chance, so feel free to step forward!
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If you want to know more, please reach out to us at (423) 886-5974 or leave us a message on our Facebook page. We will be happy to provide more details. Or, if you just have a general question or comment, we are all ears and invite general feedback from anyone on the mountain as we consider all of you our customers. But as always, if you have an emergency, or even think you may be having an emergency… always call 911 for immediate assistance and the fastest response. Best to all in the new year!

Happy New Year to all residents on the mountain. We trust your holidays went well, and you were safely able to enjoy some festivities. Hopefully for the balance of this year, this entire COVID-19 mess will continue to abate, and we can return to some semblance of normality.

For WRES, it was a December of progress compared to 2020. We were actually able to run the Santa Train on the mountain, and we hope your kids got the chance to meet Santa on the firetruck and receive some candy. As volunteers who normally are in a truck with lights flashing because someone is in need of help, it is a nice change of pace for us to see children come bounding out of houses, excited to give Santa a hug.

We were not able to host our annual holiday banquet, but our board of directors still funded a modified celebration. We were able to gather at Station One and enjoy a delicious catered meal and some time off. This is also the time of year we give our members some recognition and give out our annual awards. Patrick Halstead received the Rock of Gibraltar award for always being ready and dependable. The Dr. Dodds award for outstanding medical response went to Robert Clark, and Lt. Jody Clift won the Leadership award for outstanding leadership during the past year. A special Chief’s Award went to Jaykob Hawkins and Derek Tallent for outstanding service to the organization. But the most prestigious award this year was given to Patrick Stoker, as he was voted the Volunteer of the Year by his peers - a worthy recognition.

For those of you who have sent in your donation from our mailed request - a hearty thank you! So, where does your money go? First and foremost, know that the largest expense we have every year is for insurance! Yes, liability insurance, disability insurance for our volunteer members and vehicle and facility insurance. You can imagine that our liability insurance is pretty hefty given the nature of what we do here at WRES. Equipment, maintenance and training are the balance where your donations go - just our daily operations. Did you know that to just outfit a volunteer with turnout gear, boots, gloves, helmet and breathing apparatus can cost over $6,500 per person! That is just the bunker gear.  We also have to have hoses, axes and other tools for our trucks, as well as expendable safety supplies like gloves and masks to protect our members on medical calls. And, just like any other facility, we have water bills, electric bills and phone bills to pay every month.  It all adds up and we appreciate the support!

As we are now in the open burning and winter season, our biggest risk of calls right now are for grass fires and chimney fires. If you are burning brush or plan to later in the spring, please obtain a burn permit and adhere to the rules for open burning. It is also a good idea to give us a call and leave us a message that you will be burning so we don’t show up with a truck and a crew when someone driving down the street calls to report a fire. Yes, it does happen. Also, be sure your space heaters are not placed near your drapery or furniture, as this turns out to be a common cause of house fires this time of year. We want you to be warm and comfortable in your home, but we also want you to be mindful so that you stay safe.

This is also the time of year that we ask for volunteers to come and join our organization. Know that as an operating emergency service, we need all types of help - not just with fighting fires. We have reports and documentation to keep track of, and we do a lot of our own maintenance on trucks and equipment to keep everything in good working order. We have IT needs for cloud computing and internal servers to monitor our equipment. Yes, we always need more firefighters and medical response volunteers, but we also have other volunteer opportunities if you would like to help.
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You can always contact us at our Station One phone number at (423) 886-5974 and leave a message, and you can direct message us on our Facebook page at Waldens Ridge Emergency Service.  However, if you have an emergency - or even think you may need some help - do not hesitate to call 911 for immediate assistance and the fastest response.

Fall greetings to everyone on the mountain!  Gee, where did the summer go?

Aside from normal training, training and more training (Have I mentioned that we train every week?), we have been busy this fall with many other activities. October is Fire Prevention month, and we did not skip a beat in promoting fire safety in the area.

In September, we were the host department for the distribution of Little Debbies for other Hamilton County emergency service organizations. McKee Foods delivered boxes and boxes of the treats, and we lined them up in the bay for drive-through pickup. In the course of a couple of hours, other departments sent their staff to Station One to retrieve their items. This is all part of Fire Prevention Month. Departments take these treats to schools, daycares and other locations to promote fire safe practices for children all over the county.
Once they were all delivered, we also took our Little Debbies over to the Educare Daycare and Learning Center for a show-and-tell with the kids to teach them about fire safety. Aside from the usual stop, drop and roll and other basic practices, we will typically let them see a firetruck, sit in the engine and other fun stuff that the kids enjoy. We also put on a full set of turnout gear with masks and breathing apparatus to show kids what a firefighter looks like when in full working gear.

We do this to prevent fear should something occur in their homes. Imagine you are 6 or 7 years old and you are trapped in a smoky room during a fire when, out of the smoke, this “monster” appears in a heavy coat and pants, face mask and helmet and is breathing loudly through a breathing apparatus. If this ever occurs, we want children to understand that this is a person who is there to save them and not a monster coming through the smoke to hurt them. Hopefully, through everyone’s fire prevention efforts, we won’t ever have to do that but it is always good to be prepared.

We are entering that time of year when we “fall back” and change our clocks. As you change the time on your clocks, this is also a good time to test the batteries in your smoke detectors. Smoke detectors do save lives but only if the batteries are in good working order. Please remember to check your batteries twice a year, and the spring and fall time change is a good reminder to go ahead and check. If you are unable to perform this yourself in your home for some reason, please give us a call at Station One and leave a request that you would like some help, and we will schedule someone to pay you a visit and check/change your batteries for you.

This is also the time of year you should consider having your fireplace or wood stove checked and cleaned as we prepare for winter. One of the leading causes of house fires we experience on the mountain is the chimney fire. A chimney fire can belch sparks onto your roof and cause a fire from above. Actually, we have seen chimney fires get so hot the house framing around the flue actually catches on fire and starts a fire inside a wall. These hidden fires in the wall can be very dangerous. Also, if you use smaller heaters in your home, please remember to keep them a safe distance from furniture, drapery and other items that could catch on fire.

As always, if you are going to be burning brush this fall, please obtain a burn permit and give us a courtesy call at (423) 886-5974 and leave a message of the address where you will be burning. We do get 911 dispatches from people who see smoke or fire in the distance and call for an emergency.

If you would like to keep up with WRES, please like our Facebook page, where you can also message us directly with any comments, questions or requests. However, if you have an emergency, or even think you may be having an emergency, always, always call 911 for immediate assistance and the fastest response.

by Jay Heavilon

Fall greetings to everyone on the mountain. Glad to have some cooler temperatures and looking forward to the fall colors. With the recent surge of the delta variant of COVID-19, we are being very careful but still running calls as usual. October, in case you did not know, is National Fire Prevention Month and the start of open burning in Hamilton County, so we have some tips, suggestions and requests.

With the cooler temperatures, it is time to think about fire prevention for this winter. If you have a word burning stove or fireplace, you may want to consider cleaning the flue and the firebox of any built-up soot. Most of the residential fire calls we get during the winter are for chimney fires. If the soot build-up in your chimney does catch fire, it can spill out onto the roof and catch the entire house on fire. This can be easily prevented.

As of October 1, open burning is now allowed in the county. However, there are required conditions as to what you are allowed to burn, how much and at what times of day. Contact the Air Pollution Control Board to obtain your burn permit and find and find all the details. A county burn permit is only $10. We also request that should you plan to burn, please give us a courtesy call and let us know.   

We often times will get calls from motorists who see flames or smoke and call in an unknown fire, which we appreciate. However, if we show up and you have a burn permit and are burning allowed materials during the day, then all is well. But that is the case only as long as it is an allowed burn day and you are monitoring your fire at all times. If we know ahead of time, when we get a suspected fire emergency and know you are already burning in the area, it greatly helps us with our response.

This is also a good time to check the batteries on your smoke detectors. It is recommended that you change your smoke detector batteries twice a year. National statistics from the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) are quite surprising. For instance, less than 50 percent of U.S. homeowners have an escape plan if there is a fire in their home, 60 percent do not check their smoke detectors monthly, and the No. 1 national cause of home fires is unattended cooking.

We know that most of these are preventable. We also know that there are those of you on the mountain who may have trouble testing your smoke detectors or changing your batteries. If you need assistance with this, please call WRES at Station One and let us know you need some help.

We still look forward to showing off our Station One when the time is appropriate. Until that time, feel free to contact WRES by leaving a message at Station One by calling (423) 886-5974. Or you can go to our Facebook page at Waldens Ridge Emergency Service and message us directly.  However, if you have an emergency, or even think you may be having an emergency, always, always call 911 for immediate assistance and the fastest response.
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by Jay Heavilon