Cherokee County Office of Fire & Emergency Services July- August Volume 17 - Issue 4 Teachers Trained to Stop the Bleed Story on page 8
Published bi-monthly by the Cherokee County Office of Fire and Emergency Services Tim Prather Fire Chief The Fire Wire Fire Explorer Post Holds Promotion Ceremony Page 2 Tim Cavender Editor Eddie Robinson Assistant Fire Chief Shane West Field Operations Chief Danny West Division Chief Dean Floyd Division Chief Chad Arp Fire Marshal Jill Mabley, M.D.,FACEP Medical Director Cherokee County Office of Fire and Emergency Services 150 Chattin Drive Canton, GA 30115 Phone: [678] 493-4000 Fax: [678] 493-4034 www.cherokeecountyfire.org Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. Closed Saturday, Sunday and Holidays ABOUT THE COVER: Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Medical Services facilitated Stop the Bleed training for the local school district. Photo and story on page 8 Sgt. Michael Sims presents Captain Denver Ice with the Explorer Post Captain Helmet. Cherokee County Fire Explorer Post #469 held their annual Promotion Ceremony and Senior Night on May 15th at the Cherokee County Fire Training Center located off Highway 5, just south of Holly Springs. Cherokee County Assistant Fire Chief, Eddie Robinson, conducted the Changing of Command ceremony which consisted of transferring the post guidon from the previous captain to the new captain and charging the new captain to take on the responsibility of leading the post to success. Chief Robinson spoke words of encouragement to the seniors, new officers, and guests in the crowd. He read the CCFES Explorer Creed which are words that all of the explorers live by. The Cadet Officers for Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services Explorer Post 469 that were promoted for 2018-19 are Captain Denver Ice, Lt. Chris Shorts, Lt. William Logan, Sgt. Anna Bower, Sgt. Josh Shorts, Sgt. Hannah Pohlman and Sgt. Fabian Fazzari. Eight explorers, who are seniors this year, were also honored with certificates. Seniors receiving certificates were: Dalton Hamby, Lt. Chris Shorts, Capt. Denver Ice, Simon Worley, Griffin Hansen, Nick Lindsey, Sgt. Fabian Fazzari, and Lt. William Logan At the conclusion of the ceremony, the explorers and their families enjoyed refreshments at the training center.
Page 3 Promotion Ceremonies Held for Six Firefighters Attending the promotion ceremony on May 9th were (left to right) Tim Prather, Cherokee County Fire Chief, Eddie Robinson, Assistant Fire Chief, Capt. Alex Adams, Lt. Angela Rice, Lt. Stan Ice and Operations Chief, Shane West. Attending the promotion ceremoney on June 6th were (left to right) Cherokee County Fire Chief, Tim Prather, Battalion Chief, Shannon Gibbs, Capt. Clay Cloud, Lt. Justin Williams, Operations Chief, Shane West and Assistant Chief, Eddie Robinson. Three Cherokee County firefighters were promoted on the evening of May 9th during ceremonies at the Cherokee County Fire Training Complex, located just south of Holly Springs. Alex Adams was promoted to the rank of Captain. Adams started with the fire department on August 15 th, 2005 and three years later, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. On January 5 th, 2014, Alex was promoted to Lieutenant. Two firefighters were promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Stan Ice was promoted to Lieutenant and was hired as an Entry Level Firefighter on January 5 th, 1999. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in January of 2002. Angela Rice was also promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Rice started her career with the fire department on January 29th, 2006. She was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in January 2014. On the evening of June 6th, three Cherokee County firefighters were promoted during ceremonies held at the fire training complex Shannon Gibbs was promoted to the rank of Battalion Chief. Gibbs started with the fire department on January 4th, 1999 and two years later, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. On May 18 th, 2008, Gibbs was promoted to Lieutenant. In the Spring of 2013, he obtained the rank of Captain. One firefighter was promoted to the rank of Captain. Clay Cloud, the new Captain, was hired at the fire department on October 27 th, 2002. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in March of 2008 and obtained the rank of Lieutenant on January 5, 2014. Justin Williams was was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Williams started his career with the fire department on February 24th, 2007. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in January 2014. Numerous firefighters, chiefs and family members attended the events.
Page 4 Captain, Lieutenant and Battalion Chief Retire Lt. Mike Jones (center) receives his Trumpet from Cherokee County Fire Chief, Tim Prather. Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services hosted several events in the last two months honoring three of our firefighters who are retiring. Captain Freddie Townsend was recognized during a dinner on May 2nd at Union Hill Community Center. He retired from the fire department after thirty years of service. After dinner and a slide-show presentation, Cherokee County Fire Chief, Tim Prather, came forward to thank Townsend for his commitment and service to the citizens of Cherokee County. According to Chief Prather, Townsend came to work on September 25th, 1998 and was hired to work at the Little River Fire Department by then Fire Chief Bobby White. Townsend was promoted to Sergeant in 1996 and was promoted to Lieutenant the following year. In January of 2002, he was promoted to the rank of Captain. During his 30 years of work with the department, Townsend received six documented letters of recognition from citizens. Townsend was also one of the remaining members of the Oak Grove and Little River Fire Departments that are still employed today. They are the last of the original career firefighters before the fire department went county wide. The remaining Oak Grove members are Battalion Chief Danny West, Division Chief Dan Floyd, Battalion Chief Johnny Wilkins and Fire Chief, Tim Prather. Remaining members of Little River are Battalion Chief Kerry Hughes, Battalion Chief Fred Dobson and Captain Fred Townsend. Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services hosted a luncheon at the Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant on May 23rd to honor Lt. Gerald Richmond, who is retired from the fire department after more than 19 years of service. Chiefs, firefighters and family members came together to honor Gerald. Richmond came to work for Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services on January 4 th, 1999 and was promoted to Sergeant in October of 2004. Four years later, Richmond earned the rank of Lieutenant. Richmond and his family moved to Florida. (Retirement story continues on next page)
Page 5 Retirements (continued) On May 29th, the fire department hosted a dinner at the Union Hill Community Center to honor Battalion Chief, Johnny Wilkins, who retired from the fire department after thirty years of service. After dinner and a slide-show presentation, Cherokee County Fire Chief, Tim Prather, came forward to thank Wilkins for his commitment and service to the citizens of Cherokee County. According to Chief Prather, Wilkins came to work on January 2nd, 1989 and was hired to work at the Oak Grove Fire Department for $6.04 an hour. Wilkins received his EMT certification in 1993 and was promoted to Sergeant in 1996. In September of 1998, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and became a Captain in 2003. Wilkins retired as a Battalion Chief, a position that he has held since 2009. Wilkins is one of only four of the original members of the Oak Grove Fire Department left. Chief Prather presented each of the retirees with their bugle award. The bugle or speaking trumpet is a reference to a megaphone like device that was used in the early days of the fire service. Thomas M. Brady Post #45 of the American Legion, located in Canton, Georgia, honored several firefighters and staff members with Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services during their annual Community Service Awards Banquet that was held on May 31st at the local legion hall. After a wonderful meal, Commander Raymond Rollins presented awards to several employees with Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services. Recognized at this year s banquet were: Battalion 1 Firefighter Award FAO Eric Parr Battalion 2 Firefighter Award Lt. Sarah Love Battalion 3 Firefighter Award FF Emily Goss Volunteer Firefighter Award Don Maloney EMS Employee of the Year Award Destiny Labossiere American Legion Honors Firefighters Fire Administration Award Laura King Special Operations Award Lyle Harp Explorer of the Year Award Dalton Hamby American Legion Commander, Raymond Rollins (left) with the recipients from Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services. Front row (left to right): Lt. Sarah Love, Emily Goss, Destiny Labossiere and Laura King. Back Row (left to right): Eric Parr, Lyle Harp and Dalton Hamby. Don Maloney (not pictured).
Page 6 Nineteen Fire Recruits Graduate The latest group of recruits and their chiefs are: (front row left to right) Jessica Heaton, Jonathan James, Alex Sinclair, Carson Caglioni, William Miller and Matthew Belesi. (Middle row left to right) Chris Norrington, Herbert Peterman, Hunter Graham, Rodney Hubbard, Terry Droke, Cody Allen and Jedidiah Martin. (Back row left to right) Shane West, Operations Chief, Tim Prather, Cherokee County Fire Chief, Eddie Robinson, Assistant Fire Chief, Michael Smith, Michael Hood, Max Post, Paul Ribeiro, Timothy Stover, James Wright, Sgt. Nate Sullivan, Jim Laughlin, Training Instructor, and Capt. Shannon Gibbs. Nineteen new fire recruits graduated from firefighter recruit school during ceremonies held on Friday night, May 4th, in the auditorium at Sequoyah High School. The evening began with a welcome and introductions by Capt. Shannon Gibbs. Herbert Peterman, one of the recruits, gave an invocation followed by the presentation of colors by the Cherokee County Fire Honor Guard and the singing of the national anthem by another recruit graduate, Jedidiah Martin. Before the presentation of the certificates of completion, a slideshow was shown and gifts were presented to some of the fire training officers by Hunter Graham and Alex Sinclair, Class Spokesmen and Chris Norrington, Class Leader. Four special achievement awards were presented to some of the recruits. The recipient of the Pinnacle Award for striving to reach the top due to dedication and hardwork in the Firefighter Recruit School Class was presented to Alex Sinclair. The Fire Academic Award was presented to Paul Ribeiro and the EMS Academic Award was presented to Eric Miller. The W. Clark Waters Jr. Honor Graduate Award was presented to Chris Norrington. This award was named on behalf of Clark Waters, a Cherokee County firefighter, who passed away in 2004. Cherokee County Commissioner, Scott Gordon, came forward to say a few words. Assistant Fire Chief, Eddie Robinson, followed and congratulated the new recruits and welcomed them to Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services. Cherokee County Fire Chief, Tim Prather, encouraged the recruits to keep their faith, family and job as their main priorities in their life. Chief Prather then asked the recruits to stand for the firefighter oath and the presentation of their certificates of completion. Those recruits receiving certificates were: Cody Allen, Matthew Belesi, Carson Caglioni, Terry Droke, Hunter Graham, Jessica Heaton, Michael Hood, Rodney Hubbard, Jonathan James, Jedidiah Martin, William Miller, Chris Norrington, Herbert Peterman, Max Post, Paul Ribeiro, Alex Sinclair, Michael Smith, Timothy Stover and James Wright. Congratulations to all the recruits for a job well done. (Graduation story continues on next page)
Page 7 Nineteen Fire Recruits Graduate (continued) LEFT - Jim Laughline, Training Instructor, presents the Pinnacle Award to Alex Sinclair. RIGHT - Sgt. Ethan Garner presents the Fire Academic Award to Paul Ribeiro. LEFT - Sgt. Nate Sullivan presents the EMS Academic Award to Eric Miller. RIGHT - Chris Norrington (right) receives the Clark Waters Award as presented by Capt. Shannon Gibbs. McElwee and Gullett Honored Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services Shift Commander, Ryan McElwee, and Accreditation Manager, Tamarin Gullett received a Letter of Commendation on May 10th from Cherokee County Fire Chief, Tim Prather. Prather with Ryan McElwee Elwee was honored for recently receiving his Fire Chief Certification at the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs Spring Executive Session in Savannah, Georgia. Tamarin Gullett, the Accreditation Manager for Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services, received a Letter of Commendation for recently obtaining her Master of Business Administration Degree from Southern New Hampshire University Prather with Tamarin Gullett Congratulations to Ryan McElwee and Tamarin Gullett on a job well done!
Page 8 Stop the Bleed Training Held in Cherokee County Sgt. Nate Sullivan instructs school employees in Cherokee County on how to stop the bleed. Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services facilitated a Stop the Bleed training event for more than 300 Cherokee County School District (CCSD) teachers, administrators and support staff on May 29th. The Stop the Bleed training educates participants on how to apply direct pressure and tourniquets to assist victims in the event of an emergency situation. The training also provides a dozen Stop the Bleed emergency kits for each school, containing tourniquets, gauze and other medical supplies needed to stem severe bleeding. All CCSD schools participated in the training, which was held at 18 school sites across the county. The day began with a train the trainer session at Cherokee High School, where 20 school nurses worked with Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services personnel to receive their training, led by Sgt. Nate Sullivan with Fire EMS. Then the nurses and Fire EMS personnel trained teachers, administrators and support staff in the afternoon. The training consists of both a presentation and hands-on instruction. Everyone I interacted with from the school system was enthusiastic, receptive, and accommodating. It was great to see how stakeholders from the community came together to achieve such an important goal, said Sgt. Sullivan. We essentially taught 18 Stop The Bleed classes for over 320 school staff, simultaneously, and completed the entire school system in one day. Everyone involved did a stellar job. Cherokee County Fire Chief Tim Prather noted that Sgt. Sullivan s initiative in bringing the program to Cherokee County, along with the school district s readiness to participate, has created a safer community for everyone. A huge thank you from the Cherokee County Fire Chief s office to the Cherokee County School System for your partnership, acceptance and participation in the program, said Chief Prather. As we come to work each day, we do not know what will be thrown at us in public safety. Now, we have not only increased the awareness, but we have personnel trained in every schoolhouse in Cherokee County that may make the difference in a victim being a survivor or fatality. We appreciate the assistance from Cherokee Fire and Emergency Services in helping train hundreds of teachers, administrators and support staff across our schools yesterday, said Dr. Brian V. Hightower, Superintendent of Schools.) CCSD Lead Nurse Gwen Chambers said the school nurses were very receptive to the training and partnering with the county fire department to deliver it to schools. School Nurses are proud to be a resource to school staff for training such as Stop The Bleed, said Chambers. The kits and additional skills to utilize the kits are supplemental to existing safety and security plans for students and staff. Georgia launched the nationwide Stop the Bleed campaign in 2017.