December 30, 2009:
2 year Anniversary of Air Evac crash
Today marks the 2 year anniversary of the Air Evac helicopter crash in Barton. Pilot Michael Baker, Nurse Tiffany Miles, and Paramedic Allan Bragwell will always be remembered as Heroes.
December 17, 2009:
Early morning rollover sends 1 to hospital
At approximately 0310 hours this morning, units responded to Corsbie Hill Road for a 1-vehicle rollover. The patient was out of the vehicle and ambulatory at the scene, and was transported for minor injuries. A small amount of gasoline was spilling from the tank filler tube. Firefighters diked an area below the tube to contain the small leak until the vehicle could be overturned.
Cherokee Rescue, CCSD, and AST assisted at the scene. No further injuries were reported.
December 15, 2009:
No one injured in one car MVC
Firefighters responded with PD and EMS to a one car accident just after 10:00 pm Tuesday night on Highway 72 near the Ballfield. On arrival, units found a white Volvo off the highway. The driver was out of the vehicle and refused treatment. The vehicle left the eastbound lane and struck a fence approximately 75 feet from the highway. The property owner was notified of the proptery damage. AST worked the accident.
November 21, 2009:
Firefighter Thanksgiving Held
The CVFF held its Firefighter and Family Thanksgiving Dinner Saturday night. A special surprise visit from Santa was made for the kids! The dinner was a great success! A slideshow was provided of pictures of calls and trainings over the years. You can download the Windows Media file by clicking HERE.
November 18, 2009:
Holiday Fire Safety
With the Holiday Season quickly approaching, the CVFF would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to be FIRE SAFE. Never leave Christmas lights on your tree on while no one is at home. Replace any strands of lights that have defects. The video below shows just how quickly a improperly lit Christmas Tree can ignite and completely involve a room.
October 1, 2009:
Fire Simulator gives first hand experience
Several CVFF members were able to train for fighting Structure Fires by using a Live Fire Structure Fire Simulator that was brought to town by the Alabama Fire College. The Muscle Shoals Fire Department hosted the event at their Training Academy off Ford Rd. Live, hands-on training, such as this, is the best way to experience the behavior of fire.
We appreciate the AFC and MSFD for allowing our department to participate in this training and look forward to it coming back around after the Holidays.
August 26, 2009:
Texting While Driving
Check out this Public Service Announcement regarding Texting While Driving. Emergency response personnel see this same scene happen too many times in their careers.
August 24, 2009:
Home Damaged in Blaze
A 9th Street home was damage Monday by a fire that started while no one was home. The fire was reported by a passer-by. Firefighters from Cherokee and Barton responded and were able to make a quick stop. While most of the damage was contained to a bedroom and bathroom, the entire house had smoke damage.
No one was home at the time of the call and no one was injured. Cherokee Rescue provided medical standby. You can see video courtesy of the TimesDaily by clicking HERE.
August 14, 2009:
Home destroyed in overnight blaze
Firefighters from Cherokee and Riverton responded to a structure fire just after 0100 hours overnight at 6635 North Pke, north of Cherokee. Upon arrival, the structure was fully involved. It was initially thought that there may be someone inside the structure, but later found out that no one was home at the time of the fire.
Cherokee Rescue provided medical standby for the event. No one was injured. The Alabama State Fire Marshall's Office was called to assist in the investigation.
August 4, 2009:
Train hits car, 1 dead
A train struck a vehicle Tuesday at the Western Mill Creek Loop crossing. The passenger in the vehicle was killed, and the driver was flown to Huntsville by Air Evac 58. Witnesses at the scene say the crossarms were down and the car tried to go around the arms. It was initially thought that there may be a 3rd person in the vehicle, but a 2 hour search revealed nothing. It was later discovered that there were only 2 in the vehicle.
Cherokee Fire was assisted by Cherokee Rescue, Cherokee Police, Colbert SO, Keller EMS, and AST. This is the 2nd fataility in Cherokee within a week, and both accidents were within 2 miles of each other. No responders were injured.
July 31, 2009:
Fatality Accident near Chiska
An elderly man was killed just before noon today while trying to cross Highway 72 when the vehicle he was driving was struck in the driver side by a Jeep that was traveling eastbound on Highway 72 near Fossick Ln. Two patients were transported out of the Jeep to Keller with non-life-threatening injuries. The fatality had to be extricated from the vehicle by Cherokee Fire.
Cherokee Fire was assisted by Cherokee Rescue, Cherokee Police, Air Evac Lifeteam and Alabama State Troopers.
July 19, 2009:
Loose cattle cause accident
Several loose cattle wandering in the middle of Highway 72 caused an accident around 9:30 pm Sunday night. One cow was struck by a mini-van, and the van was then struck by another vehicle. Two patients were transported by ground to Keller ER, one from each vehicle. Air Evac 16 landed at the scene but determined the patients did not need to be flown.
The westbound lane was completely shut down for the duration of the accident. No one else was hurt, and it was unknown who the cattle belonged to. Cherokee Fire was assisted by Cherokee Rescue, Air Evac 16, Alabama State Troopers, Cherokee Police, Colbert SO, and Iuka EMS.
July 1, 2009:
Dump Truck Overturns
Immediately following the structure fire, Fire and Rescue crews responded to an overturned dump truck on property next to the Clark Gas Company. Upon arrival, the driver was out of the vehicle and refused treatment. The driver stated the ground shift under one side of the truck while he was dumping a load of dirt.
No one else was injured. Cherokee Fire, Cherokee Rescue, and Cherokee Police responded.
July 1, 2009:
Firefighters struggle with Mobile Home fire during Intense Heat
Firefighters from Cherokee, Barton, Riverton, and Highway 247 VFDs responded to a mobile home fire Wedensday afternoon at 104 Asphalt Rock Rd. Upon arrival, smoke was showing and was quickly burning out of control. Intense summertime temperatures, and lack of a close hydrant, hampered efforts put forth. The structure was a total loss.
Cherokee Rescue Squad treated 2 firefighters for injuries sustained in the fire, including heat related injuries and eye injuries.
June 7, 2009:
Wreckful Day
Emergency personnel had a busy day with 2 serious accidents. Just before noon, units started the day by responding to an MVC on North Pke in Drisdale Curve. Upon arrival, the patient was out of the vehicle, but the Ford pickup was fully-involved in fire. The patient was transported by Cherokee Rescue to Keller ER and later flown to Huntsville ER.
At approximately 2000 hours, units responded to Liberty Rd, just off Allsboro Rd for a roll-over MVC with possible ejection. The patient was conscious and alert on arrival, and was flown to Tupelo by Air Evac 16.
No responders were injured in either scene.
May 27, 2009:
Bailer Fire in Barton
Firefighters from Cherokee and Barton responded to a possible structure fire around 0600 this morning on Old Lee Highway, just east of JB Minor Rd. On arrival, units found paper inside a bailer on fire. With the help of the owner and a bobcat, the paper bails were removed from the machine and carried out of the building, where they were broken apart and extinguished.
There were no injuries and the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
May 9, 2009:
Wind, Rain cause trees to fall
Heavily saturated ground and gusty winds brought down trees and utility and phone lines Saturday morning. Firefighters responded to trees down on Riverton Rose Trail, Lane Springs Rd, and 8th Street near Cross Street. Firefighters waited until Sheffield Utility crews arrived to release tension on a guy-wire before assisting with clearing the roadway. No injuries were reported and no structure damage was reported.
April 29, 2009:
Man flown from Wreck Scene
A man was airlifted by Air Evac 16 to Huntsville Hospital overnight Wednesday night after the pickup he was driving left the roadway and struck a tree. The man was unconscious at the scene. Cherokee Fire extricated the man through the passenger side door, then Cherokee Rescue tended to the patient until Air Evac's arrival. No other injuries were reported in the accident.
Cherokee Fire, Cherokee Rescue, Cherokee Police, Air Evac 16, and AST all responded to the scene.
March 27, 2009:
Prom Promise 2009 a Success
The annual Cherokee High School Prom Promise Exercise was held on Friday, March 27, 2009. The event was a success as members from Cherokee Fire, Cherokee Rescue, Cherokee Police, and Highway 247 Fire put on a spectacular show. Extrication was performed by Cherokee and Hwy 247 Fire Departments, while Cherokee Rescue transported 2 patients. One person was arrested for DUI and one person was Dead On Arrival and transported by Morrison's Funeral Home. The purpose of the exercise is to emphasize the importance of not drinking and driving, and to show the students the reality of the consequences.
February 23, 2009:
Firefighters catch man jumping from window
These brave firefighters caught a man who jumped from a 2nd story window while battling this blaze in Wisconsin. Keep your eye on the right side of the house.
February 11, 2009:
High winds cause and fuel fire
Sustained winds of 25mph and gusts up to 46mph caused trees to fall across the county today. One tree fell onto a powerline and sparked a fire near a White Pike residence. Approximately 15 acres of land and 2 sheds were burned. The residence had damage to the vinyl siding on the rear of the home. Utility workers noticed the fire while working on the downed power lines, and were able to notify the homeowner to evacuate. The continuous high winds hampered firefighting efforts, but the fire was eventually brought under control.
No one was injured in the blaze, which took nearly 4 hours to extinguish. Cherokee Fire was assisted by Barton Fire, Rose Trail Fire, Pleasant Site Fire, Alabama Forestry, Cherokee Rescue, and Sheffield Utilities.
February 5, 2009:
Small Fire at Cherokee Nitrogen sparks response
Firefighters from Cherokee and Barton responded to a fire at the Cherokee Nitrogen plant around 6:00 am this morning. Three engines and a squad responded for Cherokee. Upon arrival, firefighters found a ruptured oil line that had sprayed oil across a portion of the plant. The line was isolated and the fire was quickly extinguished. There were no injuries reported and no major damage reported to the plant.
Cherokee Rescue provided medical standby response. All units were clear within the hour.
January 30, 2009:
Pump Testing Photo and Video Gallery Added
Check out the photo gallery for pictures and video of the Annual Pump Testing held November 2008.
January 15, 2009:
New type construction danger to firefighters
A new type of floor-joist construction could pose a danger to firefighters. View the news report HERE.
January 15, 2009:
Probable Cause released in AE16 N109AE Crash
The NTSB has released an official probable cause for the crash of Air Evac 16 N109AE, which took place over a year ago on December 30, 2007. The report describes a phenomenon called Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness or "LTE." The probable cause report can be seen by clicking HERE.
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