Sale Creek Volunteer Fire & Rescue

It is our mission to provide the highest standard of service to all of those who may seek our help.

About us

The Sale Creek Volunteer Fire Department was an offshoot of the Sale Creek Lions Club. In 1971, the leaders of the community recognized a great need. It was a need that a lion’s club could not fulfill.
These men, with great vision, started down a path that is still evident in our department today. “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.”
In June of 1971, the fire department was organized. The lion’s club bought a fire engine that had previously served at Fairyland Fire Department on Lookout Mountain. It was a 1951 Chevrolet American Pumper. The men sought training, and personal protective equipment was purchased. A fire department was formed.
In August 1971, they received the Tennessee Charter as Sale Creek Volunteer Fire Department Inc. The first business meeting of the newly formed department was held in that same month. Board members were elected from the community, and department officers were also elected. The first chief of Sale Creek Volunteer Fire Department was Charles (Chuck) Westgate, a local Presbyterian pastor.

Pictured left to right: Glenn Aslinger, Jim Reavley, Charles Westgate

The fire engine was purchased from the lion’s club, and in just a few months’time, a tanker and medical response van were also purchased and placed in service. No fire station existed at this time. The apparatus was stored in a barn with only room for one at a time, so the firefighters would rotate them.

The Ladies Auxiliary played an integral role in the early years. They not only planned and put on all of the department’s social events, but they also raised thousands of dollars and trained in all the things that the “firemen” trained. The money raised paid most of the cost of the new fire station, the new pumper, and new mini pumper. They trained on driver, pump operations, medical, rope rescue, and firefighting.

Fire Chief Chuck Westgate did not serve an entire year before notification of a transfer from his ministry. A new chief was elected, and Jim Reavley would serve as the chief until 1989. These original Sale Creek Volunteer personnel set the standard for our department. With limited funds available, the members would often build and work on apparatus themselves. This is still the normal in Sale Creek today. The new fire station was completed in 1972, and, as with the apparatus, the firefighters also built their own building. The original building is part of our station 5 that is still in use today.

As word spread of the growing department, surrounding communities were taken into the response district. It grew to include the non-incorporated areas of Graysville in Rhea County, everything north of Soddy Daisy, east to the river and west to areas on top of the mountains, including the areas in Bledsoe County. (Our current district does not include any of Rhea or Bledsoe counties as they now have fully capable emergency response of their own.) As the years went by, the department became more and more capable of mitigating all emergencies as more stations were added and apparatus and equipment were acquired.  The personnel took specialized training in many things, including emergency medical care, rope rescue, and water rescue.  Vehicle extrication equipment was purchased in 1977.  The department would respond to car crashes from the Chattanooga city limits north to Roane County.  A second station was opened in 1980.  This station provided capabilities on the west side of the railroad tracks.  A third station was constructed in 1988, adding resources closer to the Possum Creek area of our district.

During Chief Jim Reavley’s time as our leader ISO performed two inspections. They issued our first Public Protection Classifications. It was a 9 district wide, and this recognized that fire protection was now available in our district. After the second inspection, the Public Protection Classification improved immensely to a 6 where fire hydrants exist and a 9 in the remaining areas.

In 1989 Glenn Aslinger was elected Chief of the department.  He led the department in that capacity until his retirement in 2010. Retired Chief Raymond Glenn Aslinger, 66, passed away suddenly Saturday, September 6, 2014. Glenn was a founding member of the Sale Creek Volunteer Fire &Rescue and gave more than 43 years of service to the Sale Creek community and beyond. He proudly served as the chief of the department for 22 years before retiring in 2010. At the time of his unexpected passing, he was serving as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and worked tirelessly to help research, design, and facilitate the future Sale Creek Volunteer Fire &Rescue Headquarters Station.

A fourth station was built in 1997.  This station increased the operational readiness of the department, dispersing apparatus and equipment in the northeast Sale Creek area.  Progress was evident in our department with the ever expanding knowledge and capabilities. Glenn Aslinger retired from the chief position to allow for the new leadership in the department to take us farther and improve the protection of the community. During Chief Glenn Aslinger’s time as our leader, ISO performed two inspections. They issued new Public Protection Classifications that initially improved to a 5 where fire hydrants exist and a 9 in the remaining areas. After the second inspection, it again improved to a 4 where hydrants exist and a 9 in the remaining areas. In 2010 Jacky Reavley took the reins as chief when the three chief officers of the department retired.  Jacky remained chief for one and a half years when he resigned to pursue a new career as emergency management director of a neighboring county. In late December 2011, Jim Aslinger, was appointed to lead the department.  Jim remained chief until medical issues forced his retirement in 2019. The new headquarters fire station with community room was completed in 2016. At the grand opening ceremony, Hamilton County Commission presented a resolution naming the new building in memory of the late Chief R. Glenn Aslinger and the community/training room in honor of our former Commissioner Fred R. Skillern. Our district was rapidly transitioning from rural to suburban, and our once sprawling farmland had beautiful, large homes in subdivisions. The lake and river front properties have homes that are on the average of 6,000 square feet and three to four stories. We were experiencing growth that was presenting new risks without the financial ability to appropriately respond. Chief Jim Aslinger and Chairman of the Board Tony Reavley met with Hamilton County Mayor Coppinger who was very supportive of the volunteer fire departments. This translated to more than doubling the financial support from the county commission. During Chief Jim Aslinger’s time, ISO performed two inspections. In 2014, they issued a new Public Protection Classification improving to a 3 where fire hydrants exist and a 3X in the remaining areas. In early 2019 our inspection resulted in keeping the Public Protection Classification of a 3 and a 3X.

Tony Reavley was chosen as chief in 2019 and retired after a year as our leader. With the increased income, older apparatus were sold, traded, or donated to make room for newer,more capable apparatus. We, like all the years before, improved to better protect our community.
In 2020, Preston Reavley was chosen as chief. We continued to improve capabilities. We started a multi-year extrication tool upgrade plan and battery operated Hurst and Milwaukee tools were purchased.
In March of 2021, the board of directors chose Tracy Creasman to fill the chief position until our new fiscal year began in June.
The year of 2021 brought more change, as the board of directors chose Adam Gaither as the chief. Chief Adam Gaither has continued in the same direction with the same drive as was set forth as our example in the beginning. It has always been our department’s philosophy that “Anything worth doing is worth doing right”. Our department is known for doing things the “Sale Creek way”, and it has never been the goal of the department to be like anyone else. It is our goal to do what is best for our department and community. Training and education are the cornerstones of our department. This allows for thinking outside the box to accomplish much with little.

Fire engines pictured part way out of fire station
Fire trucks inside department

Our Services

Sale Creek Volunteer Fire and Rescue is comprised of 100% non-compensated volunteers and provides emergency services to an 82-square mile area in northwest Hamilton County, Tennessee.  Minimum training requirements for fire suppression personnel include performance standards as identified by NFPA 1001.  Our department participates in the Tennessee Commission on Firefighter Professional Qualifications Standards with certifications based on NFPA 1001. Our community is unincorporated and is within commuting distance of Chattanooga, Tennessee.  We are in transition from rural to suburban, experiencing growth that is presenting us with new risks.  Our once sprawling farmland now has beautiful, large homes in subdivisions.  The lake and riverfront properties have homes that are on the average of 6000 square feet and three to four stories.

Our department is a full-service fire organization, an “all hazards” fire department.  We operate out of five (5) fire stations. We provide emergency services ranging from public assistance, medical first response, vehicle extrication, trench rescue, rope rescue, ground and water search, water rescue, hazardous materials response, and fire suppression. Our department currently operates two (2) pumpers, three (3) pumper/tankers, two (2) tankers, one (1) aerial, two (2) service trucks; one (1) with utility, extrication, and temporary traffic control equipment and one (1) with 2000’ 4”
hose, one (1) brush truck 4×4, one (1) heavy rescue pumper, three (3) squads (extrication / first responder); two (2) are 4×4, one (1) squad (rope rescue / first responder) 4×4, one (1) QRV (Quick Response Vehicle / first response) 4×4, one (1) administrative vehicle 4×4, five (5) boats; (three (3) with fire pumps), one (1) 6×6 ATV, two (2) 4×4 side by side UTV’s, one (1) 8×8 amphibious vehicle, one (1) Haz-Mat trailer, one (1) pump trailer, and four (4) Chief 4×4 SUV’s.

As a member of the Tri-State Mutual Aid Association, our department gives and receives aid to and from approximately forty departments.  Our department responds as part of the written emergency response plan for the TVA Sequoyah and Watts Bar Nuclear Plants, and TVA Watts Bar Hydro Electric Plant and Dam.  We have Automatic Aid agreements with neighboring fire departments.  As a component of the Homeland Security District 3 for the State of Tennessee, all apparatus and equipment owned and operated by our department is subject to respond in multiple communities in ten southeast Tennessee counties; including the City of Chattanooga.

Gallery

See our 4 stations serving the Salecreek area