Mitchell County Firefighters Association

Some of our Firefighters attended the South Atlantic Fire Expo in Raleigh! We thank each and everyone for all you do!! A big shoutout to the rest of our Firefighters that stayed back home to run things if needed! We got a great group of people!!

We promised you something cool, well here it is! On Saturday August 24th, from 10am-2pm we are hosting our first Touch-a-Truck / Clear the Shelter event. Bring your kids down to the station for a free and easy day of entertainment. Let them explore all our our trucks, talk to firemen, try on gear and explore all the other vehicles we will have.

The Pelican Snoballs truck will be there, I’ll definitely be getting that new Dr. Pepper SnoBall. We will also have other food for sale so you don’t need to leave for lunch.

The most important part of this is the Animals. On site will be dogs and cats available for adoption. Any money we raise from food sales or donations will be given to to the Mitchell County Animal Rescue to support their mission of helping the homeless animals of our county.

Let’s get some animals adopted, raise some money and have fun doing it! See you all on the 24th!

Congratulations to Chief Kevin Hughes for achieving his Advanced Firefighter Certificate through the North Carolina State Firefighters Association. This achievement shows his dedication to the fire service through the many years of experience and training it takes to qualify for this designation. Thank you chief Hughes for your dedication to your department and the citizens of Mitchell county and always striving to improve.

Did you know fire can spread in less than 2 minutes? That's why having working smoke alarms is crucial! This , learn more about how smoke alarms can save lives. Visit fpw.org and learn about this year's theme: "Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!" Let's prioritize safety together. Check it out now!

To put this into perspective for Mitchell County. Mitchell County has 7 fire departments, 3 of which have substations. Each department is required to have 15 members and 4 members for a substation. This brings the total number of firefighters for Mitchell County to a minimum of 117. If a fire department drops below 15 they will loose their charter with the state. Across the nation the fire service seems like a drain on taxpayers but please consider the amount of money these 117+ volunteers save the taxpayers. The only compensation we receive is the satisfaction of protecting our communities.

We all wear multiple hats down here at the Station and our very own Assistant Chief, Bryan Brewer, is a full time Fire Fighter in Morganton North Carolina. He was recently promoted to Fire Engineer, and let me tell you, its a big deal.

Fire fighters are the grunts, hitting the door and flowing water to the fire, but Engineers are in leadership roles, managing trucks and pumping water. These duties make them responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment and most importantly, making sure water gets from the truck to the guys who need it. Driving one of these massive trucks is hard enough but pumping water from a fire truck is like learning Mandarin Chinese from a Russian who only yells at you, its hard! The position takes on a new level of intelligence, collectiveness and the ability to manage several tasks all at once.

If you know Bryan, you know he is one of the best candidates for the rank. He has been a devoted Fireman and leader at Bakersville since 2011 and all the while works as a full time Fire Fighter with Morganton, often leaving at 5am to get to his shift. We are incredibly proud for Bryan's promotion in the full time world, and are more than grateful to have him and his knowledge of fire fighting on our team as well.

For more photos and to see Bryan all dressed up, click the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/CjNwVXafKaKKtVeE/

‼️FUNDRAISER ALERT ‼️
Join us at the Rhododendron Festival in Bakersville for a milkshake fundraiser! We'll have yellow canopies set up in the food vendor section. Come by, say hi, get your ice cream fix, and get freebies for the kids while supplies last. Look forward to seeing you there!

Come out today 4-8 and support Hwy 55 and your fire department!! We will have a fire truck there for the kids to look at!! Can't wait to see y'all!!

Great information, ride safe.

We had a great day of golf today! Thank you to all of our players and volunteers! The event could not have happened without all of you. We also would like to say congratulations to our winners. We are already planning for next year!

💥Live Tournament Action Update💥
Spruce Pine FIre’s Assistance Chief Bill Hoag is currently navigating a water hazard! Check on him at the turn if you spot him!

Come by and see us today at Grassy Creek Golf Course. We have some delicious BBQ for sale and are raffling off a nice Husqvarna 135 Mark II chainsaw! All proceeds will go to the Mitchell County Fire Association. Thanks so much for your support!

💥 Attention All Golfers 💥
It’s tournament week. We need golfers! Please consider coming out and supporting our associations 1st tournament. If you are planning to play please follow the QR code or link posted in the comments to register before this Friday 5/10 so we can get the golf course some numbers! Thank you and we look forward to seeing you all Saturday.
🐷 BBQ lunch will be available at the turn! 🐖

A quick patient extrication with their new side x side. Well done.

🔥 Mark your Calendars 🔥
The Mitchell County Fireman’s Association will be hosting our 1st Annual Golf Tournament on May 11th. The tournament will be hosted at the Grassy Creek Golf and Country Club. Shotgun start at 9am with registration prior to start. Use the QR code to pre register. Payment will be collected during registration the day of. All proceeds will go to benefit all your Mitchell County Fire Departments. We look forward to seeing you on the greens!

It's the first day of a new month! Remember to test your smoke alarms! Working smoke alarms decrease the chances of dying in a home fire by 50%. Make sure you have smoke alarms on every level of your home and inside every bedroom!
MORE INFO: https://www.ncosfm.gov/community-risk-reduction/fire-prevention-education/smoke-alarms

Finally, after some much needed rain, the burn ban is being lifted.

Now don’t go crazy, the ban is being lifted at 5pm EST, Wednesday 22nd. So if you need to burn, wait until then and let’s keep it legal and safe.

For all of you who abided by the burn ban, thank you for your help keeping Mitchell county and all of your neighbors safe!

Keep fire safety in mind this Thanksgiving! 🍂🍁 As you prepare for the holiday festivities, take a moment to prioritize safety. Follow these simple tips for a safer celebration with your loved ones. For more safety tips go to: nfpa.org/thanksgiving

9/7/2022 10:00 am

Hazardous Material incident in Red Hill. Clean up is in progress at this time, however, all roads accessing the area will be closed for an unknown amount of time. Currently there is no immediate threat.

**POSTPONE OUTDOOR BURNING DUE TO INCREASED FIRE DANGER**
The combination of low fuel moisture, gusty winds and low minimum relative humidity will result in increased fire danger for most of the state on Sunday. Outdoor burning is NOT advised. For more information: https://bit.ly/3dAMdgs

For wildfire prevention tips: https://bit.ly/3iEoHAJ