Nashville Fire Department – Justin Thornton

The Rotary Club met Wednesday afternoon with Fire Chief for the City of Nashville Justin Thornton, presenting. Thornton, who has been the city’s Fire Chief and Marshall for 3 years now spoke to Rotarians about his department’s operations.

With 24 volunteer firefighters the city has on average 12 respond to a call. Thornton said the department responded to approximately 150 calls last year. This is an increase over previous years due in part to the pandemic. It’s hard to find those willing to be firefighters nowadays, commented the chief. The average response time to a fire by the Nashville Fire Department currently stands at 12 minutes. This would be closer to 5, he estimated, if more full time firefighters were available. This is due to volunteers having to stop what they’re doing and report to the firestation before heading out to a call. Currently Thornton is the only full-time firefighter for the city of Nashville.

Thornton also said that the amount of full-time firefighters, among many other things, affects their ISO rating which is used by insurance offices to determine property insurance rates based on a local fire department’s standards of operation when compared to industry standards. With a 1 being the best possible score and a 10 being the worst the Nashville FD has found themselves at a 5 consistently for several years. Thornton said the process of having a better score is rigorous but he feels his department is making the right moves to make it happen. If you find yourself curious concerning the process to become a volunteer firefighter, reach out to Fire Chief Justin Thornton for more information.