SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. — Sevier County is working to improve its fire services, and as part of that work, it acquired the Wears Valley Volunteer Fire Department.
A release said its fire station, located on Mattox Cemetery Road in Sevierville, would undergo remodeling to include sleeping areas as well as facilities to accommodate a full-time staff. Tony Patty, the fire department's chief, said there would still be volunteers on staff as well as full-time personnel.
"We initially started with running 25 or 30 calls a year. And then we went to probably running in the summer in the 50, 60 calls a year," said Patty.
Patty said when the department started providing EMS assistance, crews responded to up to 150 calls a year. He said in recent years, due to the growth in the area and wildfires, there are up to 350 calls a year.
"We've noticed since the Hatcher Mountain fires, a couple of years ago a large increase in the call volumes, which makes it extremely difficult in a volunteer agency to be able to keep up with the increasing call volumes and a lot of the growth in infrastructure," said David Puckett, the chief of Sevier County Fire and Rescue.
The Wears Valley Volunteer Fire Department began in 1986 when it had a single fire truck stationed inside a garage and to reach firefighters people would have to call a local phone number.
"We could not have become the fire department we are today without the amazing support of our community. From the old fundraising dinners at Wearwood School, the endless supply of food and drink during major fires, to the many monetary donations from community members and out-of-town property owners alike, it has truly been an amazing transformation," Patty said in a statement.
The government said on social media it previously acquired the Sevier County Volunteer Fire Department in February 2023 as part of its long-term goal to enhance fire and rescue services in unincorporated areas of the county. There will be remodeling done to include sleeping quarters and other facilities to accommodate full-time staff.
"We need some people up here and especially during the day when everybody's working, there's very few people here. So when they do start supplementing with the paid people, that will be a huge help," said Patty.
Along with volunteer and paid fire departments, the Sevier County Fire and Rescue team will continue providing fire and emergency services and collaborate with other departments.
"It's been a pleasure working with the Wears Valley Fire Department. Before the merger, they've always had top-notch folks out here and done a phenomenal job and I can't wait to see where we're gonna end up going with this," said Puckett.