As a 100% volunteer organization, Tellico Village Volunteer Fire Department has been a vital part of the community since the formation of Tellico Village.
A combination of community support, grants and national relief funds has ensured the community fire department thrives.
“We receive about 60% of our income from the Villagers themselves through donations,” Fire Chief Jerry Dougherty said. “We have a service agreement with the (Property Owners Association) and we have grants that we receive from United Way. ... We also worked with a local foundation within the Village to replace our two white emergency medical rescue trucks.”
The department recently received $50,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds from Loudon County Commission.
Dougherty said ARPA funds will provide new self-contained breathing apparatuses estimated to cost around $15,000 apiece. TVVFD plans to upgrade old equipment by adding 22 new units to replace the ones that have been in service for nearly 20 years.
The department recently added a donated fire truck from Alcoa Fire Department that was transformed with the addition of new lights, paint and a ladder that extends up to 90 feet.
Another grant secured by Commission Chairman Henry Cullen, who is a Village resident, has funded an improved fire and rescue boat.
As Tellico Village explodes with boat traffic and lakeside homes, top-of-the-line safety equipment becomes a priority. The new boat will be specifically designed for pump operations on the lake.
While equipment is essential, department leadership agrees the heart of the TVVFD beats because of the people who volunteer their time and effort day in and day out. Community support has been a big factor in the department’s ability to protect residents.
“The community is extremely supportive,” Assistant Fire Chief Bill Ballinger said. “Both financially and in services they help us out with. We have regular visitors at the fire station who bring everything from food to expertise. We have a group of volunteers that teach CPR and ‘stop the bleed’ training classes to people in the community. We were very blessed from that standpoint that we get a lot of good support.
“And, on top of it, I think something that’s often undervalued is when we go on calls and we help people, the people are really nice to us,” he added. “They thank us. They demonstrate to us in an encouraging way that they appreciate us getting there in the first couple of minutes.”
Many residents have come to value the responsiveness and constant availability of a department that operates around the clock.
“We’re unique with the other departments because we’re available 24/7, whereas the other departments have people that work during the day,” Ballinger said. “When there’s a fire during the day, we can still put seven people on the road to support the other departments and during the middle of the night if a fire comes in and it’s a working fire and runs around two o’clock three o’clock, some people on the other departments might not respond because they have to go to work.”
For more information, visit online at www.tellico villagefiredepartment.com.
