GORDON, Ga. — When there's a big fire in a small town, it usually means all hands on deck. But when the small town has a volunteer fire department, they typically rely on outside help.
After a weekend fire in Gordon killed Russell and Cindy Hawthorn, some people questioned the response time and staffing. 13WMAZ requested the 911 call and found who was on the scene and when.
Records show the first call to dispatch was at 1:21 p.m.
Wilkinson County Fire Chief and EMA Director Darius Patterson says one part-time volunteer firefighter "responded out immediately" and was first to the scene five minutes after receiving the call.
Then, at 1:26 p.m., Patterson and nine volunteer firefighters from the Wilkinson Fire Department responded next, then McIntyre and then the Toomsboro Fire Department.
Patterson says when he arrived, he could see where the fire started.
"It was in a room that we couldn't access at the time until we extinguished the fire. That's what hindered us," Patterson said.
In our previous story, we were told neighbors near the Hawthorn's home came to the home to help but couldn't get inside because of the smoke. Patterson says he's unsure how many Gordon firefighters were eventually on hand but says one man cannot go into a fire alone.
"With the fire service, we normally like to have two in, two out. There's so much that comes in when you have a scene like that. We need as many people as possible. You need to have an incident command setup, you need to have at least two personnel to go that can go interior into a house, so without those things, it makes it difficult to perform our duties," Patterson said.
In Wilkinson, Patterson says there are five small-town volunteer fire departments. There are volunteers at Gordon, Allentown, Irwinton, McIntyre and Toomsboro. Wilkinson County Fire Department has 22 volunteers.
Patterson says since taking the Fire Chief and EMA director position, he has been working with the county to have a full-time fire crew.
"We are currently trying to look at some things. With the help of the community and the support, hopefully, in the near future, we could develop this full-time department and develop this full-time department and we can get this personnel into these fire stations," Patterson said.
Patterson said they are accepting applications for people to become volunteer firefighters. He says the fire department is working hard and hosting different emergency services classes.
"Anyone that's looking to get involved into the community, they are welcome to come to the classes we are hosting," Patterson said.