Busy
Christmas Holiday For Local Firefighters
While the
Christmas holiday is often marked with families having a long weekend off to
celebrate and enjoy with family and friends, public safety is always ready and
responding to emergencies. This year in Barrow County, firefighters and 911
Dispatchers with Barrow County Emergency Services were kept busy throughout the
holiday, including responding to numerous fires. “As public safety
professionals we are always working and ready to respond no matter what day it
is,” stated Captain Scott Dakin. “However, as human beings we would prefer to
be slow over the Christmas holidays, but unfortunately this year that did not
work out.” On December
23, just after 7 AM, firefighters responded to Wilbanks Road for a reported
structure fire. Upon arrival crews discovered a fire had occurred in a
flowerbed on the side of the home. The resulting fire damaged the siding of the
garage, and the power line going in to the home. Firefighters searched the
garage for extension, but the fire was stopped before it could enter the home.
The fire was caused by improper disposal of cooking materials. On December 24th,
dispatchers received a 911 call just before 10 AM, reporting a fire in the 800
block of Atlanta Highway SE. Firefighters responded and found an outbuilding
fully involved. Crews worked to extinguish the blaze as quickly as possible.
The building and contents were completely destroyed by the fire. The cause of
the fire was the improper use of a heating barrel in the building. On Christmas
Day, dispatchers received a 911 call reporting a fire on Kristen Lane. The
callers advised the back porch and the back of the residence were on fire.
Crews arrived to find the fire was already under control. Crews removed burning
debris from the porch and extinguished it. No extension was found in the home.
Crews removed smoke from the home. On December
26, just before 10 PM dispatchers received a call reporting a fire on
Huntington Trace. Firefighters responded and found light smoke in the
residence. Utilizing the thermal imaging cameras, firefighters were able to
find that embers had gotten in to a void space behind the fireplace insert.
Crews removed the insert and extinguished the smoldering embers. In the early
morning hours of December 27th, 911 Dispatchers received a call
reporting a fire on Lochwalde Lane. Upon arrival the fire was out. The fire
started in debris that was against the side of the home. The fire damaged the
siding and frame of the home. Firefighters extinguished the hot spots and
checked to ensure the fire had not made it in to the home. Later that
morning, 911 Dispatchers received a call reporting a fire on Glass Road.
Firefighters responded and found the side of a chicken barn and the grass
around it on fire. Crews worked fast to stop the fire from spreading in to the
roof of the barn. The barn was in operation with chickens in it. Firefighters
worked with the owner to reduce the stress on the chickens during firefighting
operations. The cause of the fire was an electrical issue. “These were
just a few of the many calls we responded to during the Christmas holiday,”
stated Chief Alan Shuman. “While in our jobs we deal with these tragedies
regularly, during the holidays our thoughts and prayers go out even more to
those affected. Our dispatchers and firefighters stayed busy dealing with many
different emergency calls and we want to thank them for their hard work and
dedication.”