For years, Cocke County Fire Department has responded from their fire district (ESN) with both firefighters and apparatus to assist the other six fire departments in the county thru automatic aid agreements. According to FireRescue Magazine, automatic aid agreements are becoming more and more necessary across the United States in order for fire departments to stay ahead of the ever-increasing challenges in the fire service. Automatic aid is assistance that is dispatched automatically by a contractual agreement between two fire departments.