White Oak Fire Department hosts semiannual pancake breakfast

WHITE OAK – The White Oak Fire Department under the tutelage of Fire Chier Tim Tatum put on their annual spring pancake and sausage breakfast at the White Oak fire barn May 11.

There were between 500 and 1000 people who came through the doors for an all-you-can-eat-till-it’s-gone breakfast that lasted from 7 – 11 a.m.

Tatum, who is spread out very thin with teaching the fire academy and drone technology at East Bladen High School during the day, Community College at night, a floor-care business and the cherry on top of his sundae is his job as the White Oak Fire Chief. Tatum was one of the main organizers for the semiannual event and everything runs through him.

Tatum who not only is the organizer for the pancake breakfast, but his fire academy was started because there is such a need at this time for volunteer firefighters. It is not only in White Oak, but all over North Carolina, there has been a decline in the past few years for young men and women who have a heart to serve and protect their communities in the firefighting service.

Tatum has a great record from the 12 years he has been teaching at EBHS.

“We do have some that volunteer after the course,” Tatum said. “And we have had several that have gone career. I’ve got them spread out from Leland, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Lumberton – and have them scattered all over serving communities in North Carolina.”

“As for the pancake breakfast, we usually do a fall and a spring breakfast,” Tatum said. “Some years you just can’t find a parking place. It just depends. Each time we hold these, I would guestimate that we draw between 500-1000. Some eat here, and a lot of people pick up and take out.”

It’s not just a fundraiser, but a time for community to come together.

“It’s more of a social event,” he said. “We raise good money, but we found that we do better with donations. We don’t charge per plate. It’s a time that people seem to get together. Our Ruritan Club closed down, which was a rural version of the Rotary Club. This is a time when the community can get together, see each other, talk and as I said, more of a social gathering than anything else.”

The money that is raised will go for special operations and maintenance for the fire department.

“This year, we’re trying to raise some money to replace some air packs,” he said. “An air pack now is costing around $9500. It’s an SCBA and we used to call them gas masks.”

According to draeger.com, “The self-contained breathing apparatus, or SCBA, is the foundational tool that provides the greatest amount of airway protection from toxic gas and harmful particulates resulting from the fire. It’s essential for modern firefighting and today’s complex fire grounds.”

“We are also trying to raise some money to restore our old fire truck out in the back,” Tatum said. “We’d like to use it for parades. It’s kind of rusted down, but that was our original fire truck which originally came from White Lake. We had some mechanics on the fire department and they got the truck running. We’d like to restore it so we can have it in parades.”

The White Oaks Fire Department was incepted in 1983 and Tatum became the chief in 1984. The idea was born out of a devastating fire in White Oaks and the people of the town realized that they needed a fire department.