Samatters Radio

At the time of the fire, Rick Mehaffey served as an engineer for the Waynesville Fire Department, a combination department that runs 2500 calls a year out of two stations. (He has since been promoted to Captain.) At the time of the near miss event the staffing levels was 1 person on-duty at each of two stations, supplemented by roughly 30 volunteers. At 0759 the fire department was dispatched to a residential fire at 71 Cornerstone Ridge in Waynesville. Mehaffey was first on-scene of a working fire in a two-story wood frame structure with light smoke coming from the eves and smoke coming out of the chimney. Mehaffey noted the rock chimney stood approximately 8 feet above the gutter line and was 4 foot in width. The size of the chimney led him to position his engine outside of what he would deem to be the collapse zone. Mehaffey established command and completed a 360 degree size up. The second engine arrived and they initiated interior operations. The crew located the fire in the vaulted ceiling cavity around