GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) – Hundreds of firefighters from across Tennessee and neighboring states came together in Gatlinburg to sharpen their skills in order to keep community members safe.
“It’s the biggest training event probably in the Southeast, you know having a number of firefighters that will be trained in one weekend, and we’re just fortunate that we’ve been able to do that over the time,” Pigeon Forge Fire Chief Tony Watson said. “It’s unbelievable the impact that we have on our communities with this training.”
Classwork, hands on trainings and chief orientations all took place at the Gatlinburg Convention Center.
Chief Watson said the expo can help keep all of these firefighters safe while serving the community.
“You can never train enough for a job that can get you killed, and so that’s what we’re talking about,” Watson said. “It’s all about serving others, it’s about serving our community, so when you talk about these trainings, these are very important to learn the latest techniques and be able to do the things that we need to be able to serve our community.”
This training takes place once a year and is funded through the state. Chief Watson said this year roughly 800 firefighters are here. He hopes each one leaves better than they came.
“There’s a lot of firefighters in the state of Tennessee, and they’re coming from all over. To get to see them again and get to know that we’re making a difference for them, I tell them all we wasted everybody’s time unless they go back and make a difference in themselves or in their communities with the knowledge that they’ve got,” Watson said.
Watson said a lot goes into making this event happen. He said while he is not able to do the trainings himself, the planning and conducting of this expo is a different kind of training for all of the departments.
“Each person has a area or each department has an area and we all come together, so I think it helps us collaborate,” Watson said. “When we can talk back and forth to one another, we know where each other’s at on things and make it better for our community. So, it’s like a big exercise and a big incident for us, so we do all kinds of things like that that realistically helps us be prepared better.”
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