News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
A team of White County emergency personnel returned from Sevier County today after they joined 72 fire departments across the state in answering the call for mutual aid from Sevier County.
EMA Director Matt McBride said that he and his team of four took a brush truck and fire tanker to help contain some 3700 acres of wildfire. He said that they arrived around 8 p.m. EST, checked in with Sevierville Fire Department, and went to work.
“A lot of our stuff was structural protection, meaning residential structural protection, deploying apparatus, manpower, we were on the fire line some so we did assist with other fire departments as far as being on the fire line trying to make fire breaks,” McBride said. “At one point we were on another deployment on Wears Valley Road to try and make sure that it didn’t cross or jump.”
McBride said that before arriving he and his team understood what kind of situation they were going into. He said that many are familiar with the Gatlinburg area, and that they prepared to go into the situation ready to address any kind of structural or residential issues caused by the brush fire.
McBride said that he thinks it says a lot about our state’s emergency personnel that everyone is so ready to go help one another. He said that we truly live up to the name, “The Volunteer State.”
“I think the biggest thing is that no one knows when they’ll need that help themselves,” McBride said. “I think it’s very important that you do give mutual aid and also receive it. No countu I think in a situation like that can stand alone in a situation like that on their own. It’s really good to be from the Upper Cumberland area where everybody will come together as one.”
McBride said that some volunteers he spoke with had traveled five or six hours to help the situation. As of Friday, the Tennessee Division of Forestry said that the fire is now 85 percent contained.
