About the SVFD

In the 1970s and 1980s, Seymour was primarily made up of family farms with no businesses or schools. As times have changed, so has our community. The family farms have turned into subdivisions and in order to accommodate this population explosion, the main access to our community, a 4-lane, undivided, state highway has been recently widened in sections allowing faster travel speeds (50mph on average), more traffic volume and ultimately, more shopping districts between Knoxville and Seymour. Seymour has grown from no stoplights in 1980 to the present number of 8. People are retreating to Seymour because of low taxes (unincorporated area) and the availability of land/houses.

The department serves over 18,600 homes (40,794 people), 400 business, 70 churches, 2 private schools, 8 public schools and Johnson University (with 400+ on-campus residents). Our Fire District is spread across three Tennessee counties, Blount, Knox, and Sevier with a total response area of approximately 118.6 square miles.

History

Dedicated to a better, safer community.

In 1971 several business owners in the small community of Seymour decided they needed fire protection for their homes and business. Up until this time, there was no fire protection between Knoxville and Sevierville. These business owners formed the Seymour Volunteer Fire Department and purchased a new Boardman Class A fire Engine. In the first year, twelve firefighters responded to 24 calls for service and their sole engine was stored outside in a vacant lot at the corner of Chapman Highway and Old Sevierville Pike.

Growth
By 1981 the department had grown to thirty-five members and had purchased a 4-wheel drive mini-pumper and three tankers. Station One (headquarters) was completed as the department call volume grew to 250 calls per year.

In 1991, the department had added two additional stations and purchased three additional engines with a yearly call volume topping 800 calls for service.

In 2011, we celebrated 40 years with six stations with, 17 vehicles and over sixty firefighters. We are still an all volunteer department and now provide vehicle rescue and emergency medical “First Responder” services.

In 2012, we responded to over 1700 calls for service with the following breakdown:

  • 68% Emergency Medical Service or Motor Vehicle Accidents
  • 21% Fires and fire-related incidents
  • 5% Hazardous Materials
  • 6% General service calls from the public
Accomplishments

With a grant from the University of Tennessee Medical Center, we trained 15 First Responders in 1990 and became one of the first volunteer fire departments in Tennessee to become a state-licensed First Responder agency (1995). In 2000, Baptist Hospital donated four automatic external defibrillators (AED), the Robert F. Thomas Foundation donated a fifth AED, and in 2006, Baptist Hospital provided a $5000 dollar matching fund grant to purchase the first AutoPulse, automatic CPR device in the East Tennessee region.