Russ Gawler retired in February 2022 from Eastside Fire and Rescue—a large metropolitan fire department on the outskirts of Seattle in Washington State—relocating to White Pine within the Baneberry Fire District.

“My number one goal as your Fire Chief is to provide reliable consistent service with a focus on fire prevention.

As you know we are an all-volunteer organization and we have committed members who are ready to serve. As volunteers responding from home and/or work we do not have the luxury of response times that departments with staffed career firefighters have.

This coming year we will be emphasizing fire safety in and around the home. We will also be implementing a Firewise program to educate and prepare homeowners for dealing with brush and wildland fires.”

Baneberry Fire Dept will be keeping residents informed of happenings, events, and significant incidents on the city website as well as through social media.

Chief Gawler or a representative of the Fire Dept. will attend the monthly city meetings as well as give updates to the Commission.

If you see any of our members at the station, please feel free to stop in and say “Hello!”

The Baneberry Volunteer Fire Department, established in May 2006 by City Ordinance 206-1, (and amended by City Ordinance 216-1) is duly authorized by the Tennessee State Fire Marshall to serve the City of Baneberry and a county area in a five (5) mile radius of the fire department building.

As an ongoing effort to provide enhanced fire protection for the residents of Baneberry, the City Commissioners purchased a fire engine and authorized the construction of a fire station to be owned and operated by the City of Baneberry.

After completion of the fire station, City Commissioners, petitioned the County for establishment of a unique fire district boundary for the City, which was approved. Upon designation by the county, the City petitioned the State for a fire department identification number, which was approved as Fire Department 45181.

The fire department objectives include:

• Prevent uncontrolled fires.
• Prevent the loss of life and property.
• Confine fires to their places of origin.
• Extinguish uncontrolled fires.
• Prevent loss of life from asphyxiation or drowning.
• Perform such rescue work as its equipment and/or the training of its personnel makes practicable.
• Provide emergency medical care at the highest level that the equipment and training of the personnel makes practicable.
• Provide code enforcement and building inspections as directed by the city as defined by city-adopted codes and ordinances.
• Serve as the emergency management agency of the city.
• Protect the health and safety of the citizens from the transportation, storage, or manufacture of hazardous materials to the extent possible that the level of equipment and training will allow.

ISO Rating: 6

Open Burning: Prior to burning on your property or elsewhere within the City limits, refer to the City’s Open Burning ordinance and webpage.

Medical Records: For your personal use, the Fire Department has provided an Emergency Medical Information Sheet. You could carry completed copies of the form in your purse or wallet and maintain copies where emergency personnel are most apt to locate it during an emergency.

With regard to identity theft, users should make personal decisions about which data to include or exclude on the form. Use of this form is entirely voluntary.