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County’s volunteer fire departments open houses this Saturday

They are here for you 24/7, and they’re staffed by volunteers – your friends and neighbors who donate their time and efforts, not to mention their own gasoline to come to your aid in almost any emergency.

These are your Anderson County volunteer fire departments, which survive with limited county funding and your generous donations.

And to allow you to learn more about them, most of your Anderson County fire departments are holding open houses this coming Saturday, Oct. 1, from 2 to 6 p.m. at their various stations.

Among them are the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, which has three stations. On Saturday, the department will be holding the open house at Station 1, 1957 Mountain Road, Andersonville.

There, the department’s newest fire truck, a Pierce 2,100-gallon pumper, will be on display. Fire Chief Ambrea Kroth recently traveled to the Pierce manufacturing plant in the Bradenton, Florida, area to inspect the truck, which has since been delivered to the department.

The truck is “290 inches long” and “weighs 35,700 pounds, Kroth said on her Facebook page.

On its Facebook page, the Rocky Top Fire Department invited visitors to “come out to meet and greet some of our firefighters.”

“We will also be having bounce houses and cornhole boards for everyone to play,” the post said. “Firefighters will be providing refreshments for everyone as long as supplies last.” The nearby Medford Volunteer Fire Departments in Anderson County said that during its open house Saturday, “We will be set up selling reflective address markers that will allow us to find your house quickly in the event of an emergency.

“We highly recommend these, as it increases our response times to your location. Address markers are available for a minimum $20 donation.

“We will also be taking information (name, address, phone number) from community members interesting in obtaining free smoke detectors for your residence. Someone will get your contact information and schedule a time to come install the detectors at your residence. The detectors have a 10-year battery life and are free to our community.”

Other departments participating in Saturday’s event include Claxton and Marlow.