Waynesville Fire Department 'in good hands; after Helene response
Some may have laughed when a mountain fire department ordered an NRS 120 rescue boat, but no one was laughing on Sept. 27, 2024. Town of Waynesville photo
Saying 2024 was an “eventful” year for the Waynesville Fire Department may have been an understatement by Chief Joey Webb, Sr., but so is saying the department “made many great strides forward.”
In his last official presentation to the Waynesville Town Council on Feb. 11, the retiring Webb, who has served as chief for nearly 17 years, said the department does have some needs but also has a solid foundation.
“I feel very comfortable as I leave that it’s in good hands. We have a good staff, you’ve allowed us to add to our staff and we hope that continues,” Webb told Council. “You have a great department and I ask you just to keep investing in those folks. We have good people and like everybody else, we compete with salaries for the surrounding areas, and these guys don’t do it just for the money. They’re really dedicated.”
When Tropical Storm Fred plowed through eastern Haywood County in 2021, areas within the Waynesville city limits and fire district weren’t really affected, although like many other fire departments, Waynesville’s pitched in where it could. When Hurricane Helene arrived on Sept. 27, 2024 it was a different story — Waynesville got hit about as bad as anywhere else in Haywood County. Frog Level turned into a raging river, Richland Creek topped bridges on Russ Avenue while widespread damage to homes, businesses and town-owned infrastructure was taking place.
Fortunately, and with town support, WFD had added a new tanker truck, scuba gear and other water rescue equipment to its toolbox, along with two water rescue boats that proved critical and arrived just prior to Helene. Starting at 3 a.m. on the morning of the storm, Webb’s department began receiving storm-related calls and conducted more than 100 rescues, at least 30 of them by boat.
“Due to some preplanning and some forethought and the council’s help in letting us get a boat — that we kind of got some flak on until we needed it — miraculously we got it into service three days before the flood, and as a result we made dozens of rescues along with all the other town departments and we didn’t lose a single citizen,” Assistant Fire Chief Chris Mehaffey told Council. “I think that says a lot about the help y’all gave us.”
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Given that none of the 106 killed by Helene were from Waynesville was indeed astonishing given the scale of the devastation that day, however the fire department didn’t lose a single firefighter during the chaos, either.
But Waynesville is a growing community, and WFD’s call volume has increased 37% over the past decade. Town Council authorized adding four more firefighters to the department, which consists of 21 full-time positions, 17 part-time positions and 16 on-call personnel. Two of the new firefighters have already joined the department, bringing the total number of personnel per 24-hour shift to six. Two more firefighters will be added to the roster in January, to protect a 25 square-mile fire district with a population of more than 14,000 people — all on a budget of about $2.6 million.
Despite the growing call volume, 2024’s 3,349 calls were down slightly from 2023’s all-time high, due in part to the failure of communications infrastructure that left many in Haywood County without cellular service for weeks after the storm.
Of the 2024 calls, 60% were for medical issues, with 40% for fires. For whatever reason, most calls come in the 11 a.m. hour or the 3 p.m. hour, and the busiest months were July, August and September.
Webb’s department also devoted time and resources to community service-type events, educating thousands of children and adults in fire safety, conducting nearly three dozen lockdown drills, installing smoke alarms, checking car seats and teaching CPR.
Down the road, Webb still wants the town to replace the department’s aging ladder truck, which turns 31 years old this year.
“We have specs ready to replace the truck,” Webb said. “It takes three years now to get a replacement.”
Not having a new truck could affect the fire district’s insurance rating, but it will be a heavy lift for Council with a price tag of more than $3 million.
Webb walked off to applause from Council, but before he did, he expressed gratitude and offered a preview of his post-retirement plans.
“I’m not going away. I’m still active in the state, and I hope to be around town,” said Webb, who also serves as the president of the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs. “I’m always available if I can help in any way.”
