Hildebran
North Carolina
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Icard Township Fire and Rescue
History
Although the Town of Hildebran, formerly known as "The Switch", was organized in 1904, it would be fifty years before an organized fire protection agency was formed in the community. For a brief time in 1953, the newly formed Town of Long View Fire Department provided service to the Hildebran-Icard area. Their department was brought to life by the local Lion's Club. While their efforts were greatly appreciated, the effectiveness of this arrangement was very limited due to the distance from Long View to Hildebran. In the fall of 1953, Hildebran residents were forced to stand by and watch helplessly as two homes were destroyed by fire. Immediately afterward, the Hildebran Lion's Club decided that it was time to give the community its own fire department and in October 1954, the Icard Township Fire Department became a reality under the leadership of Chief Harold Perry.
In the early days, dispatch methods were crude and summoning the fire department was a rather lengthy process as compared to today's standards. In those days, the caller would telephone the fire department directly (there was no "9-1-1" ). The phone would ring at both the station and the Chief's house. If no one was at the station to answer the phone, the Chief's wife would take the call at home, gathering the driving directions and the nature of the emergency directly from the caller. She would then begin the process of telephoning the firefighters, one by one, sometimes with help from wives of the other firefighters. Later, when the county organized and installed a communications center, large home based radio receivers became available to some of the firemen which meant more firemen were getting the information sooner. Eventually, the department was able to issue small portable pager type radio receivers to all firefighters. Today, the department and community enjoy the benefits
of an enhanced 9-1-1 emergency dispatch system. All 9-1-1 calls are received by telecommunicators in the county seat of Morganton and are subsequently dispatched by radio.
Other changes were on the way for the department as well. For many years, we provided only fire suppression services. In the late 1960s, several experimental programs were put into place in southern California. These programs involved using specially trained firefighters to provide various levels of pre-hospital care to persons who were in need of emergency medical assistance. They were a huge success and the concept began to make its way eastward. The American public was first
introduced to this service through the CBS television show Emergency which aired in the early to mid 1970s. In 1982, Icard Township began providing emergency medical care at the First Responder level. Today, we operate at the Emergency Medical Technician level, providing assistance to Burke County's paramedics. It's hard to believe that less than 50 years ago, local funeral homes were still providing emergency transport!
In 1997, the department undertook another major step in diversification when it was awarded a county contract to perform vehicle extrication services. Prior to this, patients who were entrapped or pinned in their vehicles as the result of an automobile accident would often wait up to thirty minutes before rescue equipment arrived on the scene. The nearest rescue squad was in Valdese, a drive of nearly 15 minutes on a good day. With the fire department arriving on the scene much earlier, it made
good sense to provide this service. With the contract also came a change to the department's name; it was changed to Icard Township Fire/Rescue, Inc.
We live in a world today that is much different from the one of 1954. Change is inevitable. As we have seen, some changes are for the better. The events of September 11, 2001 brought changes of another kind; changes that will forever affect the way we live. These events and others like them have also had a direct impact on the fire service, even in this small community in North Carolina. In an uncertain future, the citizens of the Hildebran-Icard area can take comfort in knowing that they are
served by one of the most progressive departments in the state.
Although the Town of Hildebran, formerly known as "The Switch", was organized in 1904, it would be fifty years before an organized fire protection agency was formed in the community. For a brief time in 1953, the newly formed Town of Long View Fire Department provided service to the Hildebran-Icard area. Their department was brought to life by the local Lion's Club. While their efforts were greatly appreciated, the effectiveness of this arrangement was very limited due to the distance from Long View to Hildebran. In the fall of 1953, Hildebran residents were forced to stand by and watch helplessly as two homes were destroyed by fire. Immediately afterward, the Hildebran Lion's Club decided that it was time to give the community its own fire department and in October 1954, the Icard Township Fire Department became a reality under the leadership of Chief Harold Perry.
In the early days, dispatch methods were crude and summoning the fire department was a rather lengthy process as compared to today's standards. In those days, the caller would telephone the fire department directly (there was no "9-1-1" ). The phone would ring at both the station and the Chief's house. If no one was at the station to answer the phone, the Chief's wife would take the call at home, gathering the driving directions and the nature of the emergency directly from the caller. She would then begin the process of telephoning the firefighters, one by one, sometimes with help from wives of the other firefighters. Later, when the county organized and installed a communications center, large home based radio receivers became available to some of the firemen which meant more firemen were getting the information sooner. Eventually, the department was able to issue small portable pager type radio receivers to all firefighters. Today, the department and community enjoy the benefits
of an enhanced 9-1-1 emergency dispatch system. All 9-1-1 calls are received by telecommunicators in the county seat of Morganton and are subsequently dispatched by radio.
Other changes were on the way for the department as well. For many years, we provided only fire suppression services. In the late 1960s, several experimental programs were put into place in southern California. These programs involved using specially trained firefighters to provide various levels of pre-hospital care to persons who were in need of emergency medical assistance. They were a huge success and the concept began to make its way eastward. The American public was first
introduced to this service through the CBS television show Emergency which aired in the early to mid 1970s. In 1982, Icard Township began providing emergency medical care at the First Responder level. Today, we operate at the Emergency Medical Technician level, providing assistance to Burke County's paramedics. It's hard to believe that less than 50 years ago, local funeral homes were still providing emergency transport!
In 1997, the department undertook another major step in diversification when it was awarded a county contract to perform vehicle extrication services. Prior to this, patients who were entrapped or pinned in their vehicles as the result of an automobile accident would often wait up to thirty minutes before rescue equipment arrived on the scene. The nearest rescue squad was in Valdese, a drive of nearly 15 minutes on a good day. With the fire department arriving on the scene much earlier, it made
good sense to provide this service. With the contract also came a change to the department's name; it was changed to Icard Township Fire/Rescue, Inc.
We live in a world today that is much different from the one of 1954. Change is inevitable. As we have seen, some changes are for the better. The events of September 11, 2001 brought changes of another kind; changes that will forever affect the way we live. These events and others like them have also had a direct impact on the fire service, even in this small community in North Carolina. In an uncertain future, the citizens of the Hildebran-Icard area can take comfort in knowing that they are
served by one of the most progressive departments in the state.