Hickory Fire Fighters Association

01/14/2026

DELAYED POST

Yesterday evening, at 5:27pm Hickory Firefighters from Station 2, Engine 2 were dispatched to assist Saint Stephens Fire Department with a room and contents fire on the 700 block of 32nd Street NE. Units arrived on scene to find fire showing from the rear of the home. The fire was quickly contained to the laundry room and extinguished. No injuries were reported. Units operated for approximately 45 minutes before returning to service

FIRE SAFTEY FACT:
This fire was contained to a single room by quick thinking of one of the responders by closing the door, isolating the heat and smoke to only the involved room and not allowing it to spread to the rest of the home. The same principle works to protect you and your loved ones in the event of a fire at night to keep heat and products of combustion out of your bedroom.

Remember: Close Before You Doze

01/14/2026

01/14/2026

This morning, shortly after 6am your Hickory Firefighters from Engine 5 were dispatched to a reported vehicle fire in the area of the 1100 block of 22nd street SE. Engine 5 arrived on scene to find one vehicle well involved with fire and threatening others in the area. Firefighters controlled the fire in under 5 minutes and remained on scene for 35 minutes before returning to service. No injuries were reported.

12/18/2025

In a historic development, the U.S. Senate has passed the IAFF-endorsed Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act as part of the National Defense Authorization Act

08/29/2025

Is your fire department a feeder or a destination? A destination is a place where people want to retire from where a feeder is just a stepping stone on the way to something better.

Not every place can be a destination. Pay, staffing, and opportunity matter. BUT that should NOT be an excuse for the bare minimum either. You can STILL make the best of your situation and be the best damn “feeder” department there is! On the flip side, if you ignore why people are leaving, or act blind to culture problems, you’re guaranteeing your department is a feeder in the most negative way possible. Poor retention generally doesn’t happen by accident, it is the result of turning a blind eye to issues. And it’s a choice to allow it to continue.

Feeder Departments:
✔ Provide good experience.
✔ Launch careers.
✘ Constant rookie cycles.
✘ No depth.
✘ Morale drain.

Destination Departments:
✔ People want to stay.
✔ Focus on professional development at all levels.
✔ Growth paths for everyone, not just the clique or the “chosen few.”
✘ Their battle is against complacency, not poor retention and subsequent recruitment.

The Bottom Line:
Stop pretending to be a destination if you’re bleeding members and refuse to handle internal issues. Either fix the problems: culture, development, opportunity OR accept that you’ll have a feeder organization for the rest of time and everyone will know it, both current and future members.

07/23/2025

In a major legal victory for fire fighters and union rights, a federal jury has unanimously awarded $1 million in damages to two IAFF members who were

07/15/2025

Nine people were killed and 30 others hospitalized after a fire ripped through an assisted living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts Sunday night. IAFF