News Releases

A Chattanooga mother sincerely thanked first responders for saving her son’s life during a scary, life-threatening incident at the their home. On April 28th at 8:30 pm, a family member called 911 reporting that Kaine Varnell, 21, was unresponsive on the floor of the garage. Chattanooga Police, Chattanooga Fire and Hamilton County EMS responded. As Quint 8 personnel were arriving on scene, they began their size-up, as they do on every emergency call, to assess the situation. They immediately noticed the residence was a duplex with an active work crew renovating one side of the structure and the emergency taking place on the adjoining side of the duplex. When the crew was met by the patient's father as they exited the truck, they noticed his general appearance could indicate the possibility of a carbon monoxide emergency as he was showing signs and symptoms. The crew immediately removed the unconscious party from the structure and initiated CPR as HCEMS arrived on scene. Quint 8 personnel then donned their personal protective equipment, including their masks, and used a gas monitor to check the structure. Extremely high levels of carbon monoxide were present in both sides of the duplex and a generator was located in the garage of the duplex where work was taking place. The generator had been running inside the garage with the garage door down while crews were working inside. HCEMS personnel were able to establish an advanced airway, administer necessary medications and regain good vitals for the patient. He was transported to the hospital with firefighters and paramedics providing continuous care in the back of the moving ambulance. Following the CO poisoning incident, Mr. Varnell has been recovering and his mother is very grateful for the treatment he received. She personally expressed her gratitude to first responders during a special recognition at CFD Fire Station 8 on Wednesday. Mr. Varnell and his family have been through a lot in recent years. In March of 2020, he escaped his family’s burning home on N Concord Road, but his 10-year-old brother was still inside the residence. The child was rescued by Chattanooga firefighters, but later passed away from injuries sustained in the fire. Two years later, Mr. Varnell ended up in another life-threatening situation and again, first responders rushed to help.

During National EMS Week, we want to recognize HCEMS as well as all those who work in public safety, striving to save lives and property! Chattanooga firefighters are also certified emergency medical personnel and respond to a growing number of EMS calls each year in our community. Quint 8 Red Shift personnel (Captain Tim Greer, Lt. Robert Kirby, and Senior Firefighter Larry Henderson) received life-saving awards for their quick-thinking and excellent response efforts, which ultimately prevented this family from dealing with another tragic loss. Lt. Blake Smith, Paramedic Ben Bauman and AEMT Ashley Smith also received life-saving awards from Hamilton County EMS. With their training and experience, they knew immediately that they were dealing with more than just a CPR call. That situational awareness and excellent care illustrate what Chattanooga firefighters and all Hamilton County first responders are capable of when every second counts.

An early morning fire in Lookout Valley damaged a family’s home, but thankfully, the residents and their baby were able to safely escape the burning structure. CFD Green Shift companies were called to a house in the 3300 block of Kellys Ferry Road at 3:50 AM Wednesday after a neighbor called 911 to report the fire. The neighbor also rushed over to notify the sleeping family about what was happening. Initially, it was not clear if the occupants and their child were still inside, so a second alarm was called for an increased response due to possible entrapment. Units found flames coming from the back side of the garage when they pulled up to the scene. An offensive attack was initiated along with a search of the house. When fire officials received word that all occupants were out and accounted for, the second alarm was cancelled. Crews got the blaze under control by 4:40 AM which was fast considering the amount of fire they were up against. They saved the structure, but there’s a lot of damage to the residence. The cause of the fire is under investigation. There were no injuries. The American Red Cross will be assisting the displaced couple and their newborn baby. Quint 3, Squad 20, Ladder 1, Quint 1, Squad 1, Quint 14, Battalion 2, Battalion 3, HCEMS, CPD and EPB responded. Our mutual aid partners provided coverage at several of our fire halls while CFD companies were fighting this fire. Thanks to the neighbor who dialed 911 and then knocked on the family’s doors and windows, helping to get them out of a very dangerous situation.

One person was taken to the hospital late Sunday night after escaping a burning home at the foot of Signal Mountain. At 11:12 PM, Hamilton County 911 received reports that a house was engulfed in flames in the 300 block of Glendale Drive. First arriving CFD companies found the front part of the residence fully involved and launched an offensive attack and a search of the home. A second alarm was called to bring additional units to the scene due to possibility of people still inside the structure. Fire officials soon learned that all parties were out of the house. Firefighters were able to get the fire under control quickly with their interior attack and they also protected a nearby neighbor’s home. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Quint 17, Ladder 1, Squad 1, Quint 1, Engine 12, Quint 16, Engine 22, Quint 14, Battalion 2 and Battalion 3 Green Shift responded. Our mutual aid partners helped respond to calls at our fire halls while CFD firefighters were on this call. One patient was transported to the hospital with smoke inhalation and two others were treated on the scene by HCEMS for smoke inhalation. The American Red Cross will be assisting three adults impacted by the fire.  

On Saturday afternoon, the CFD and HCEMS responded to a medical call that turned out being geared towards a rescue. At 1354, Quint 14 was dispatched to the area of 600 Ochs Hwy on the side of Lookout Mountain for a female party actively seizing. The party was about a quarter mile down the trail below the Glenn Falls Trail Head. Quint 14 called for Squad 20 to respond for manpower and their "Big Wheel" rescue device. Quint 14, Squad 20, and Medic #15 hiked down the trail and made contact with the patient who was found still actively seizing. The patient was stabilized, packaged for transport, and secured to the "Big Wheel". Quint 14, Squad 20, and Medic 15 personnel traversed the steep terrain back up the mountain to the trailhead parking lot where the patient was transferred over to the ambulance. The man and his wife (the party having a seizure) were visiting the area from Georgia and were just out hiking when the incident occurred. Quint 14 arrived on scene at 1401 and was back up at the ambulance with the patient at 1435.