Custom engineered tanker trucks and flame-resistant fire suits are the state of the art in firefighting circa 2015, but Blount County Fire Chief Doug McClanahan says many of the technological changes that have benefited firefighters most over the years have little to do with burning buildings.
McClanahan says it’s also easier to fight a fire in Blount County today than it was, say, 40 years ago, for the simple reason that the county has more in the way of physical and financial resources.
When he began in 1977, McClanahan says there were only 10 fire hydrants in non-incorporated regions of Blount County. Now, as the population has grown, the tax base has increased, and local water utilities have expanded their infrastructure, there are literally hundreds of hydrants available for BCFD firefighters when they head out on a call.
As to firefighting equipment, McClanahan shakes his head when he considers the changes that have taken place during his own lifetime. He still remembers a time, some decades back, when fire trucks were essentially do-it-yourself propositions. There were no corporate manufacturers making trucks specifically for the needs of firefighters.