Greene Co. volunteer fire departments recognized by state for roles

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) – The State of Tennessee recognizes the first week of March every year as Volunteer Firefighter Week, honoring those in the community for their bravery and dedication.

“We answer calls in the middle of the night, middle of the day, doesn’t matter what the call is,” said Isaac Ottinger, Fire Chief for Saint James Volunteer Fire Department. “They always answer.”

Volunteer firefighters donate their time and dedication to helping the community while still maintaining their day-to-day commitments.

“They work normal jobs,” said Nathan Hensley, Assistant Fire Chief at Tusculum Volunteer Fire Department. “They have to devote time to their job and their family, on top of being in the fire department.”

Hensley told News Channel 11 that for volunteer firefighters, the payoff is doing what they love and having an impact on the community.

“We’ve responded to a little over 300 calls, almost 350 last year,” said Hensley. “Just the fact that each department has people that are willing to devote their time to it is an amazing thing for Greene County.”

Ottinger said volunteer fire departments play a crucial role in rural communities like Greene County.

“The closest paid department is Greeneville City, which I’m guessing is eight to ten miles away,” said Ottinger. “Without a volunteer department being here, then they would have to rely on the city to answer that call.”

Hensley said that volunteer departments can arrive on the scene before other departments and start assisting during an emergency.

“We can go ahead and start fire tech,” said Hensley. “We don’t do much medical, but we do have four or five that are trained EMTs and one paramedic.”

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