Dollywood's FireChaser Express is a family roller coaster featuring two launches, one forwards and one backwards, direction changes and special effects. The ride's story is based on volunteer fire departments that were found in and around the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in the 1940s.
FireChaser Express begins in the Fire Station with a train themed to look like a Fire Truck. After hearing from Fire Chief Embers, the siren sounds and the truck speeds (launches forward) out of the fire station. Riders, filling the role of volunteer firefighters, are taken up a lift hill, then through a series of curves, twists, and turns through Crazy Charlie's fireworks testing range to enter Charlie Cherribaum's Gasoline and Fireworks Emporium, through the storage warehouse.
Panicking, Charlie claims he sees smoke, but dismisses the thought as his own paranoia as a spark ignites a box of firecrackers and a few tanks of gasonline. The fire surprises Charlie and he instructs the volunteers to evacuate the building, but to beware of "Big Bertha". Unfortunately, it's too late, as a large firework labeled "Big Bertha" falls pointing directly at the train and the fire ignites the fuse. As the firework explodes, the room fills with smoke and several loud explosions are heard as the fire truck launches backwards to safety. The ride concludes with several additional turns, including a pass beneath the fire tower before the FireChaser Express finishes in the brake run.
| Year | Track | Type | Designer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Steel | Launched, Family | Gerstlauer |
Acceleration: Forward launch zero to 16 mph in 1.1 seconds; Backward launch zero to 20 mph in 2 seconds
Opening date: March 22, 2014
Train has seven cars with two rows each, seating two abreast per row.
Height requirement: Riders must be at least 39 inches tall
Find Where to Coast™ with Ultimate Rollercoaster® Database
Where to Coast™, Rollercoaster Yellowpages™ are trademarks of Ultimate Rollercoaster®.
