http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org Latest Fire Department Content en-us Copyright 2012 Cherokee County Fire Department http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:07:43 EST Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services and Woodstock Fire and Rescue responded to a structure fire early this morning, just after 12:30, at 302 Providence Point in the Towne Lake Hills South subdivision, near Woodstock. First reports coming into Cherokee County 911 indicated that the basement was on fire. A neighbor also advised that the occupants of the house were out and everyone was safe. Firefighters arrived on scene to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the structure. The fire did extensive damage to the inside of the two story structure. The American Red Cross was called in to assist the occupants. Both lanes of Providence Point were blocked until the operation was complete. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=285 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST Battalion Chief, Shane West, with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services, was named Cherokee County Outstanding Service Award Winner for the 2 nd quarter. Captain West is a paramedic at Station 1 and has worked in fire and emergency services for 15 years. West was the recipient of the Outstanding Service Award winner for the second quarter of 2011. The recipient of the Employee of the Year award in selected from the recipients from each quarter. West works tirelessly both on and off duty to make sure that the department and his subordinates succeed. Cherokee County Fire Chief, Tim Prather, said that he knew Shane from his beginnings with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services. Shane was a great example when he came on board with the fire department and he still is today, added Prather. West takes pride in his work and always completes his assignments and tasks in a way that exhibits pride and ownership. West developed and pioneered the Cherokee Fire and Emergency Services Officers Forum to help develop better communications between the firefighters and management. The forum serves many purposes for the department including, a communication bridge, a development and training mechanism, a debriefing forum and a platform for firefighters to voice their opinions in a positive way. West resides in Talking Rock with his wife, Natalie, daughter, Heidi and sons, Kyle and Andrew. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=284 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST Twenty three new fire recruits graduated from firefighter recruit school during ceremonies held on Friday night, February 10th, at the Woodstock High School Auditorium. The evening began with an invocation by Fire Chaplain, Dana McPherson, followed by the presentation of colors by the Cherokee County Fire Honor Guard and the singing of the national anthem by Raquel Bustos. The key-note speaker for the evening was Sam Heaton, Fire Chief with Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services. Cherokee County Fire Chief, Tim Prather, and Assistant Fire Chief, Eddie Robinson, came forward and congratulated the new recruits and welcomed them to Cherokee County . Before the presentation of the certificates of completion, several of the recruits received special awards. The recipient of the Pinnacle Award for striving to reach the top due to dedication and hard-work in the Firefighter Recruit School Class was presented to Nick Durham. The W. Clark Waters' Jr. Honor Graduate Award was presented to Joel Sciranko. The award was named on behalf of Clark Waters, a Cherokee County firefighter, who passed away in 2004. Roberts was given the award in recognition of excellence in academics and leadership. The recruits were then asked to come forward to receive their certificates of completion. Those recruits receiving certificates were: Casey Cannon, Joshua Capes, Todd Chadwick, Tyler Davidson, Nick Durham, Adam Elrod, Kevin Fox, Kevin Hanson, Doug Hocker, Thomas Howes, Kristhian Kosiba, Destiny Labossiere, Terrell Long, John Montague, Joshua Nealey, James Passmore, Cesar Saavedra, Paul Sansone, Joel Sciranko, Daniel Thatcher, Scott Tipton, Josh Warren and Cody Wilson/ After receiving their certificates, the graduate received the firefighter oath from Cherokee County Assistant Fire Chief, Tim Prather. The final moments of the graduation included comments from the Training Instructors who were Lt. Wesley Densmore, Sg http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=283 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST Cherokee County Fire and Emergency and Woodstock Fire and Rescue responded to a single vehicle accident this afternoon, shortly before 2 pm, on Trickum Road , near Regent Square . Firefighters arrived on the scene to find a gray Volvo had left the highway, went into the woods and struck numerous trees. The 25 year old male driver of the car was entrapped and had to be extricated from the vehicle. A paramedic on the scene said the patient had severe head injuries. He was transported emergency to Kennestone Hospital where he later died. No other vehicles were involved and no other injuries were reported. One lane of Trickum Road was blocked until the operation was complete. The cause of the accident is being investigated by the Cherokee Sheriff s Office. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=282 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services responded to a structure fire yesterday afternoon, at approximately 5:15, at 104 Victoria Station, off Bells Ferry Road . Firefighters arrived on the scene to find heavy flames and smoke coming from the one story cedar house that was fully involved. Early reports indicate that the fire possibly started from a burn pile that wasn t totally extinguished when the occupants used it on Monday. The house was considered a total loss. No injuries were reported from the fire and fire investigators continue their investigation. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=281 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST Cherokee County Fire Emergency Services' Explorer Post #469 participated in the annual Winterfest Competition in Gatlinburg , Tennessee , this past weekend and brought home six trophies. Over 3200 people, representing states from all over the southeast, attended the event to compete in drills that would test their skills and knowledge in the fire and emergency services field. Explorer Post #469 had 16 youth to compete against over 60 teams! The Explorers placed 1st and 3rd in The Pittsburg Drill which is a drill where the explorers simulate rescuing a down firefighter through multiple obstacles to get him to safety. They placed 1st in The Z-Drag where they had to rig a rope rescue system to assist in the removal of a victim from a hostile environment. They placed 2nd in The Advanced Emergency Medical Competition where they completed a written exam, a trauma practical, and a medical practical to test their knowledge and skills in providing emergency medical service to multiple patients. They placed 3rd in Save your Skin which resembled a crew of disoriented firefighters having to locate their hose line and navigate their way out of a hostile environment with seconds to spare. And, finally, they placed 3rd in Entanglement which was a combat challenge type event that tested their skills in the use of a ladder, knowledge of knots, strength, and their ability to navigate through an entanglement situation. In addition to the trophies, the Explorer Color Guard had the honor of presenting our nation s colors at the awards ceremony on Saturday night. These trophies represent the hard work and determination of these explorers. The Explorers started training for this event back in the fall of 2011! And, because of their hard work and determination, they were able to bring home six trophies this year. The Explorer Post would like to thank the advisors that have been constantly working with them to prepare them for this event and a fu http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=280 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services responded to a two vehicle accident this morning on Knox Bridge Highway , just west of Fields Landing Drive , which resulted in two fatalities. Cherokee County firefighters arrived on the scene to find a head-on collision between a gold Ford Focus automobile and a red Dodge pick-up truck. The 48 year old male driver of the Focus and a 40 year old passenger died at the scene. A two month old baby was in the rear of the automobile and was transported to Scottish Rite Hospital with a right broken leg. It was also reported that he had a traumatic brain injury, too. The female driver of the pickup truck had possible fractures to her lower extremities and a female passenger was complaining of neck and back pain. They were both transported to Kennestone Hospital in Marietta . No other injuries were reported and both lanes of Highway 20 were blocked until the cleanup operations were complete. The cause of the accident is being investigated by the Traffic Unit of the Cherokee County Sheriff s Office. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=279 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST Two Cherokee County firefighter were arrested following an investigation that began after officials with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services noticed that medications had been tampered with on a county ambulance. Cherokee County Fire officials reported the incident to the Cherokee Sheriff s Office, who investigated the incident in conjunction with the Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad (CMANS). After an undercover operation was conducted, 34 year old Johnathan Wayne Thomas of Canton , was arrested at his home following a search warrant at the location on Wednesday afternoon. Thomas has been charged with the sell of Hydrocodone, felony possession of marijuana, possession of a schedule II controlled substance, possession of a schedule III controlled substance, and possession of a schedule IV controlled substance. A second firefighter with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services has been arrested today. Twenty-five year old, Jarad Jones, of Canton turned himself in at the Cherokee Adult Detention Center this afternoon. Jones is charged with felony theft by taking. He is also accused of illegally obtaining Fentanyl, a liquid pain killer, from a Cherokee County Ambulance in 2011. Cherokee County investigators believe Jones took the Fentanyl on more than one occasion and that the drug was used for his personal use. Jones came to work at the fire department in August of 2005. Jones bond is set at $5,700.00. Cherokee County Fire Chief, Tim Prather stated, This agency will not tolerate any type of illegal management or mishandling of our controlled substances, nor will we permit the possession and use of illegal drugs by our employees. Illegal drug use is a debilitating disease that can interfere and destroy a family, a person s health and career. I hope Mr. Thomas and Mr. Jones will take the necessary steps to overcome this issue and situation. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=278 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST Twenty volunteers received their Basic Firefighter certification during ceremonies held last Friday night at the Ball Ground Community Center . The keynote speaker for the evening was Johnny Weaver , a former chief with Hickory Flat Volunteer Fire Department and Chaplain for Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services. After Weaver s speech, the graduates heard comments from Cherokee County Assistant Fire Chief, Eddie Robinson. Before the presentation of the certificates of completion, a couple of special awards were presented. Stefan St. Peter received the Pinnacle award which is presented to a firefighter striving to reach the top due to dedication and hard work. Cherokee County firefighter, Jason Williams presented the Lewis Williams Outstanding Achievement Award to Paul Manners. The award was recently named on behalf of Jason Williams father, Lewis, who died in the line of duty. The recruits were then asked to come forward to receive their certificates of completion. Those recruits receiving certificates were: Conner Andrews, John Aylward, Patricia Aylward, David Cangemi, Miguel Castro, Corey Deal , Toni Hay, Mark Karnbach, Joshua T. Lemmons, Paul Manners, Aaron Olsen, Tyler Scott, Chris Sears, David Seay, Stefan St. Peter, Trent Stager, Wesley Stumpf, Mike Wheaton, Trevor Williams and Joshua Wolfe. After receiving their certificates, Wesley Densmore and Scott Deal, training instructors, congratulated the graduates on their completion of the basic firefighter course. The final moments of the graduation included closing remarks made by Tim Cavender , Public Information Officer for Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=277 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services responded to a structure fire at 445 Knox Bridge Trail, off Highway 20, near Lake Allatoona . Firefighters arrived on the scene to find the log style home fully involved. The structure was on the ground and firefighters went into a defensive mode to keep the fire from spreading into nearby woods. An early report from a neighbor indicated that someone could have been inside the house. Cherokee County Fire Investigator Shane Daniel reported that the remains of a body were found in the rubble around 6 o clock this evening. The identification of the body is unknown at this time. No injuries reported and one lane of Highway 20 was blocked at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=276 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services responded to a three vehicle accident this afternoon on Gilmer Ferry Road , at the intersection of North Ridge Road , in Ball Ground. Cherokee County 911 received the call at 2:23 this afternoon with the first unit arriving on scene a minute later. The accident involved a red PT Cruiser, a black Ford Expedition, and a Ford work truck owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation. The driver of the PT Cruiser was a 19 year old female with 4 additional passengers, two 17 year old males and two 19 year old males. The occupants of the Ford Expedition included the 40 year old female driver and 3 youths, ages 6, 7. and 6 months. The Georgia DOT truck was driven by a male in his 50s, plus, two passengers, one in his 30s and one in his 40s. Seven people were transported to Northside Cherokee Hospital and Kennestone Hospital with what appeared to be non life-threatening injuries. Both lanes of Gilmer Ferry Road were blocked until clean-up operation were complete. The cause of the accident is being investigated by the Ball Ground Police Department. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=275 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services responded to a structure fire this morning, at approximately 12:30, at 175 Noah Road, just east of Waleska. Cherokee County firefighters arrived on the scene to find flames coming through the roof of the two story structure. The occupants of the structure, a husband and wife and their 4 boys, ages 3, 6, 14 and 16 all escaped without injury. The husband stated that his wife woke him up regarding a noise coming from the attic area. Once he went outside to check the house, he saw fire coming from the chimney area and immediately contacted 911. The house received major damage and was basically gutted by the early morning fire. The cause of the fire was apparently started by a chimney fire. No injuries were reported. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=274 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST Twenty Cherokee County firefighters were promoted today during ceremonies at the Cherokee County Fire Training , located south of Holly Springs . Cherokee County Training Chief, Edddie Robinson, was officially recognized as the new Assistant Fire Chief. Cherokee County Fire Chief, Tim Prather, said that Robinson was the best selection to be his right-hand man. Robinson will continue his duties as Division Chief of Operations. Shane West was promoted as a new Battalion Chief. Lt. Kevin Lanier was promoted to the rank of Captain. The following sergeants were promoted to the rank of lieutenants: Greg Blanton, Chad Davis, Wesley Densmore, Scott Gwinn, Richard Jordan, Jason Lamanac, Sarah Love (who is the first female to hold the rank of Lieutenant), Charles Reese and Jeremiah Robinson. Cherokee County firefighters that were promoted to the rank of sergeant included: Brady Cornelison, Jeremy Dillard, Kevin Duncan, Chris Ginn, Joe Hollifield, Daniel Nash, Matt Richter and Jason Williams. Numerous firefighters, chiefs and family members attended the event. A lunch was held afterwards in honor of the promotions. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=273 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services responded to an accident yesterday afternoon, at approximately 5pm, in downtown Ball Ground that sent three people to an area hospital. Emergency service personnel arrived on the scene to find a white Chevrolet automobile had left the roadway, hit a lamp post and struck a power pole in front of the old City Hall building on Gilmer Ferry Road . Another vehicle, a gray Chevrolet HHR, was also involved in the accident. The driver and passenger of the white Chevrolet had to be extricated from the vehicle. The female driver and male passenger, both in their mid 70s, had numerous injuries including several broken ribs each. They were transported to Marietta s Kennestone Hospital in stable condition. The driver of the gray Chevrolet HHR was also taken to the hospital complaining of chest pains. Gilmer Ferry Road was blocked until the roadway was cleared. The cause of the accident is unknown at this time. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=272 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services responded to a single vehicle accident this morning, at approximately 7:45, on Fincher Road at the Little Refuge Road intersection. Emergency service personnel arrived on the scene to find a vehicle on its top with a female driver entrapped. Firefighters removed the driver from the vehicle and transported her to Marietta s Kennestone Hospital . According to EMS Chief, Danny West, the patient had minor to moderate injuries. No other injuries were reported and the cause of the accident is under investigation. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=271 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services is hoping to keep the lights on several Christmas wreaths in Cherokee County green this holiday season. Keep the Christmas Wreath Green is a fire prevention awareness effort encouraging citizens to prevent fires during the holidays. When a house fire occurs in Cherokee County , the fire department will replace a green bulb with a red bulb. Each red bulb will represent a house fire in Cherokee County between December 1st - 31st. Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services will have wreaths at some of the community fire stations. The first wreath was erected today at the downtown plaza in Ball Ground. A fire could put you out of a home during the holiday season, so this is a great program to remind citizens to be safe during the holidays, says Captain Chad Arp, Senior Fire Safety Educator with the Cherokee County Fire Department. Be sure to look out for the wreaths and help us keep the wreath green. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=270 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services was recently recognized by Georgia Trend magazine as being one of the Best Places to Work in Georgia . This is the sixth year that the magazine asked readers to nominate their companies for the award. According to the magazine, the readers told them that they especially like the opportunity to do work that is important and to have a say in how the work is done. They give high marks to working environments that nurture and encourage them and bosses who trust them. Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services was recognized for being in a hotspot of metro growth and almost doubling its staff in recent years covering a population of 225,000 across 400 square miles. What makes this organization the best is the bottom-up, values-based approach to leadership and training, said Eddie Robinson , Chief of the Training Division. Cherokee County Fire Chief, Tim Prather, also said the success of the department is due to the hard work ethic and devotion the employees have to the citizens of Cherokee County . Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services was one of fifteen organizations that were selected for the award. The fire department was recognized for their success in the November issue of Georgia Trend magazine. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=269 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services responded to an accident this afternoon, shortly after 3:15, on Knox Bridge Highway (Highway 20) near Sutallee Baptist Church . Emergency service personnel arrived on the scene to find a 4 door white Saturn automobile had collided with a transfer truck resulting in a fatality. The fatality, a white male, was a passenger in the back seat of the Saturn. The driver and passenger in the front seat had moderate injuries. The 29 year old driver was life-flighted to an Grady Hospital complaining of injuries to his arm and the 37 year old passenger was taken by ambulance to Marietta s Kennestone Hospital . The 34 year old driver of the transfer truck appeared to have no injuries. All lanes of Highway 20 were blocked because of the accident. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=268 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services responded to a structure fire early this morning, shortly before 1:15, at 3885 Yellow Creek Road in northeastern Cherokee County. When firefighters arrived on the scene, they found a ranch style home fully involved. The occupants of the home included 4 adult and 6 children. One of the adults, a 40 year old male, received severe burns to his face, arms, back and feet. A life flight helicopter was called to take the injured man to an area hospital, but it was later cancelled due to the weather. He was later transported by ambulance to the Burn Center at Grady Hospital in Atlanta. A female occupant of the home stated that it appeared that the fire started in the garage and when the man opened the garage door, a flashover occurred resulting in his injuries. All the other occupants were able to get out of the house without injury. The American Red Cross was called to assist the family. The home was completely destroyed and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=267 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST Hundreds of children and their parents attended Moonlight Madness last night at the Kroger stores last night in Towne Lake and Macedonia. Kroger sponsors the event that benefits Safe Kids of Cherokee County. Children were encouraged to come to the stores in their favorite Halloween costume to enjoy a costume contest, cookie decorating, face painting and numerous games. This event gives area children an opportunity to have fun, and at the same time, learn important safety tips about Halloween. Cherokee County firefighters and fire explorers were also on hand to carve pumpkins and to give out free batteries for smoke detectors. The event is held annually to benefit the many programs offered by Safe Kids of Cherokee County. Our thanks to everyone who attended the event and a special thanks to Kroger for being our major sponsor. http://www.cherokeecountyfire.org/media_read.cfm?e=266 tmcavender@cherokeega.com Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST