Latest news with #SpringHillFireDepartment
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Spring Hill's new fire station approaches completion as population grows
SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WKRN) — Construction is more than halfway done for Fire Station No. 4 in Spring Hill, known as the Mitchell Earwood Memorial Station. According to the city, the building will be complete and operational by November. The station is named in honor of Mitchell Earwood, a former Spring Hill firefighter who lost his life in a weather-related incident in 2020. 'Seeing it come to fruition at this time, with the growth of the city itself, is going to absolutely reduce response times in this area,' Spring Hill Fire Chief Graig Temple told News 2. 'We're expecting that, within the first month, we're going to see at least a 25% reduction in response times immediately as soon as the station is opened.' VIDEO: Bodycam footage shows aftermath of Gallatin home explosion Temple said the station's more centralized location will allow for quicker deployments around Spring Hill. 'The city has been behind with needing this station for several years, and we're not going to stop there, obviously. I mean, there's a definite need for a fifth and sixth station because of the city's growth,' Temple added. Based on the city's estimates, about 65,000 people currently live in Spring Hill, which is up from 50,687 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census. Temple said the Spring Hill Fire Department's call volume has been steadily rising about 4% to 7% per year. ⏩ 'As the call volume increases, it actually draws our resources apart because they're handling other emergencies, so having this station here centrally located within the city allows us to go in any direction very, very quickly,' Temple explained. According to Temple, the department's current average response time is 7.5 minutes, but the goal is to hit the 6-minute mark. Officials said the Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to approve a contract with Chris Woods Construction Company for the new fire station in March 2024. The board approved a total of $10.5 million for the project in July 2024, just a few weeks before city, county, and state leaders gathered for the groundbreaking. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Spring Hill firefighters screened for cancer
SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WKRN) — According to a 2023 report from the U.S. Fire Administration, firefighters have a 14% greater chance of dying from cancer compared to the general public. There are many factors that contribute to that rate, including exposure to chemicals, toxins and smoke on almost every call. Because of that sobering statistic and because January is Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month, firefighters with the Spring Hill Fire Department (SHFD) have undergone comprehensive medical screenings designed with cancer detection in mind. VIDEO: Firefighter cancer awareness Firefighters must be cognizant of what they inhale and what they get on their skin. For three days, the agency has offered comprehensive screening specifically designed for firefighters. Ian Merritt is a firefighter with the SHPD and an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). He is one of 45 firefighters who signed up for the voluntary screening, which includes ultrasounds checking the abdominal area, kidneys, spleen, gallbladder and more. 'As a firefighter, we are exposed to a lot of carcinogens,' Merritt said. 'The early detection is very important.' Because the 39-year-old father of two knows he could be exposed to cancerous substances on any given shift, the firefighter, who spent his early career overseas with the U.S. Marines, says he welcomes the extra medical screenings. 'It doesn't go thru my mind,' Merritt added. 'It is more along the line of taking the proper precautions.' Fire Chief Graig Temple told News 2, firefighters' exposure to cancer-causing agents has grown over the years and it's top of mind when it comes to firefighter safety. 'It absolutely is worse now than it used to be,' Temple said. 'The materials that things are being built with are more petroleum-based products and more plastics.' According to Temple, some gear — including breathing apparatuses — have also been known to have cancer-causing agents. That's why his employees carry two sets of turnout gear: in case one becomes contaminated. The chief also said decontamination, or decon, and wiping down equipment is important to remove carcinogens. 'Fire service is exposed to cancerous products on every fire we go on. There's smoke and soot and so forth. It can be absorbed through the respiratory tract or through the skin,' Temple said. 'We have even found through studies that our turnout gear can be problematic at times and has been identified as being cancer causing, so we are in the process of changing those out to cancer-free turnout gear.' ⏩ 'And just because we are wearing our breathing apparatus and our turnout gear doesn't mean we are going to be 100 percent protected,' Temple added. 'It just sends the message that we have to be proactive. The sooner you can catch the cancer and the sooner you can get treatment, the survivability increases ten-fold.' Temple said 45 firefighters signed up for the scans this year. The other half of the force will be offered the voluntary testing next year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
