The Nashville Fire Department (NFD) officially partnered with the aviation divisions of the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) and the Tennessee Army National Guard (TANG) in November 2019. The Nashville Fire Department Special Operations Division supplements rescue personnel with THP to enhance their Helicopter Technical Rescue Team. NFD personnel work side by side with THP’s Special Operations personnel in assisting with rescues in the county, region and state. The NFD and THP share a rich history together. The two agencies have participated in joint trainings for at least 40 years. This long-standing relationship with THP and Tennessee Army National Guard was formalized with an official Memorandum of Understanding in 2019.
Governor Bill Lee made the announcement of this historic partnership Tuesday November 12, 2019 at Nissan Stadium along with Nashville Mayor John Cooper, NFD Director Chief William Swann, Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Jeff Long, Tennessee Army National Guard Adjutant General Jeff Holmes, THP Colonel Dereck Stewart and TEMA Director Patrick Sheehan. TN-HART and THP Helicopter Technical Rescue Team will utilize personnel from NFD Stations 12 and 22 at the direction from Nashville Fire Department Special Operations. The personnel from those stations will staff, train and respond to incidents in Davidson County, the State of Tennessee and be available for deployment to other states that can benefit from these invaluable resources.
TN-HART currently has 21 active members for rescue operations from Nashville Fire Department. Since its inception TN-HART has made many hoist rescues in responding to calls in the Appalachian Mountains, Waverly, Tennessee and the East Kentucky floods of 2022 making a huge impact saving many lives, making the program one of the best in the nation.