ABOUT

In 1974 the Hiwassee Dam VFD was started with a grant to Cherokee County, NC funded by the Tennessee Valley Authority. We started out with a small brush truck that eventually was upgraded to a 1,000 gallon tanker that was stored in a barn owned by a charter member.  In 1988, the department was reorganized and a dedicated fire tax was voted in by the community.  An actual station was built and attached to the Hiwassee Dam Community Center,  In 1992, a second station was constructed at 150 Wehutty Road and in 1994 the original station was replaced with the current station at 7815 Hwy 294.  in 2012, a 3rd station was constructed at 4750 Hwy 294 and in 2020/2021, we wil be constructing a new headquarters station on Line Drive and another substation near the intersection of Hiwassee Dam Access Road and Joe Brown Highway.  in 2016, the closure of the Cherokee County Rescue Squad thrust Hiwassee Dam VFD into the rescue business.  We are now the water rescue department for Cherokee County.  From the meager beginnings of a small brush truck and a barn, we have grown to a department that has 3 (soon to be 4) stations, 5 engines, 3 tankers, 3 brush trucks, 1 rescue, 1 command vehicle, 7 boats and a swift water response trailer.  This growth was accomplished by careful and thoughtful planning by the leaders of the department and our goal is to be able to respond to any need of our community.