Holly Springs, NC, August 18, 2026 — Holly Springs Fire Rescue responded to almost 2,900 calls and logged more than 20,000 hours of training over the past year, according to the department’s first formal annual report (document) presented to the Holly Springs Town Council.
The presentation followed proclamations (documents) recognizing September as Firefighter Appreciation Month and Emergency Preparedness Month. Fire Chief LeRoy Smith reviewed the department’s call volume, staffing, training, and emergency response during the past year.
November was the department’s busiest month, with July close behind. Smith attributed the spikes in part to Thanksgiving turkeys and Fourth of July fireworks. Most of the department’s calls, however, are medical emergencies.
Every Holly Springs firefighter is certified as an EMT and operates under the Wake County Regional EMS System. As a result, a fire engine may be part of the response when residents call 911 for a medical emergency, even when there is no fire.
Smith also noted that the department changed reporting systems in January, moving from the National Fire Incident Reporting System to the National Emergency Response Information System, or NERIS.
More than 20,000 hours of training
Holly Springs firefighters recorded a combined 20,312 hours of training during the fiscal year, averaging 254 hours per firefighter. The North Carolina Department of Insurance requires a minimum of 240 training hours annually. Smith said the department’s average is understated because it includes firefighters who missed training time for parental leave, military deployments and vacation.
The department has 85 members and operates three fire stations. Smith said operational staffing is divided among three shifts of 25 firefighters, providing coverage 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Ten department members are women, including two helicopter pilots, a figure Smith noted while discussing the department’s workforce.
Four minutes to water on the fire
During the presentation, Smith showed council members video from a house fire in Mayor Pro Tem Annie Drees’s neighborhood that was caused by a lightning strike.
“Four minutes and six seconds after those firefighters arrived on the scene, they had a charged attack line up three flights of stairs into this attic and had water on the fire,” Smith said.
Smith also showed a training video of a simulated house fire reaching flashover, when conditions inside a room cause combustible materials to ignite nearly simultaneously. He urged residents to keep smoke alarms working, sleep with bedroom doors closed, and have at least two ways to escape their homes.
“Working smoke alarm gives you time, but it’s not that much time,” Smith said.
September focuses on firefighters and preparedness
The council’s Emergency Preparedness Month proclamation encourages residents to develop and practice household emergency plans. It directs residents to Ready.gov and recommends that families discuss their needs, document an emergency plan, and practice it.
The Firefighter Appreciation Month proclamation recognizes the town’s 85 firefighters and coincides with Patriot Day on Sept. 11th. It also honors the firefighters who died in the Sept. 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Smith also discussed firefighter mental health and the resources available to department members after difficult calls. All three fire stations now have decompression areas, and firefighters have access to peer support and critical incident stress debriefing.