Tag Archive for: #vancecountyfire

Latest on the Vance County Fire Study

/by

Fire Service Study Clears Hurdle

It took about a half hour of discussion – some of it contentious at times – as well as various motions and amendments to motions, but the Vance County Board of Commissioners formally approved on Monday, August 7, 2023 the selection of a consulting agency to conduct a fire services study.

And although the board did ultimately accept giving the job to AP Triton as had been recommended by county staff, the board voted 4-3 that the public safety committee and the fire services commission, along with input from Acting County Manager Scott Elliott, would oversee the project.

That decision went against Elliott’s recommendation to the board, however.

The study is expected to take four months to complete and is going to cost more than $48,000. He said he would recommend that the study results come back to the full board for consideration.

Click Play to Hear TownTalk from 8-16-23 Containing Meeting Audio

Commissioner Dan Brummitt made the original motion that included awarding AP Triton the project “subject to project oversight” by the two groups.

During the ensuing discussion, several board members voiced objections.

Commissioner Tommy Hester said the full board called for the study and it should be the full board making decisions regarding the study.

Commissioner Archie Taylor said the study should provide “a neutral, honest look” at the fire service in the county.

Brummitt maintained that “significant misinformation” surrounding the county fire services had been bandied about in recent months and wants to ensure that the process of the study remain neutral.

Commissioner Leo Kelly said he would prefer to follow Elliott’s recommendation that the full board use its regular work sessions to monitor the study as it is being conducted.

As the discussion among the board members escalated over the course of 15 minutes, Chairwoman Yolanda Feimster declared a five-minute break and then left the commissioners’ conference room. Upon her return, she declared the meeting back in session, with a motion on the floor.

The board then voted to amend Brummitt’s original motion to simply approve awarding the study to AP Triton.

When that motion passed without opposition, Brummitt made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Carolyn Faines, that the public safety committee, fire services commission and the county manager provide project oversight of the study.

During discussion, Taylor again questioned the rationale, and Elliott interjected that in speaking with the AP Triton representatives, he was assured that they would “be making an independent analysis” of county services, and that the study would not be driven by a subgroup of the full board.

The motion passed 4-3.

(Text originally published August 8, 2023)

CLICK PLAY!

 

Vance County Logo

Vance County Adopts Budget; Fire Study Coming

/by

The Vance County Board of Commissioners adopted the upcoming fiscal year 23-24 budget Wednesday afternoon. The special called meeting led to a 6 to 1 vote to adopt the budget as presented by the county manager.

Immediately after the budget was approved, the board adopted a motion which freezes the four empty, full time Vance County Fire Department positions and stops funding of any new capital expenses. That motion carried 5 to 2.

After about 90 minutes of meeting time and some heated discussion, it’s clear that a fire study is coming. And unlike some meetings that see motions, seconds, discussion and votes on topics, several sequences were gone through like that. In the process, two motions and seconds were withdrawn and another voted down.

In the short term with the likelihood that the study will take up to 90 days to complete once started, some commissioners and citizens may draw the conclusion that a reasonable compromise was reached.

From the angle of the fire service, which has been closely discussed publicly and by the citizenry in the last 35 to 40 days, there is a general maintaining at this point of the status quo. With the budget in place, a freeze in place, and the study coming, the board, with a great deal of county staff help, has preserved its option to act on the study, including amending the budget.

After the meeting, Finance Director Katherine Bigelow said, “What is being approved is freezing the four vacant Vance County Fire Department positions and their capital expenses consisting of turnout gear and fire boots, for example,” as she went over some items with WIZS.

Interim County Manager Scott Elliott said, “At the July 10 meeting, staff will bring forth the proposed scope of the work to be conducted by the fire study and seek board approval and for execution of a contract,” as he spoke to WIZS.

The roughly $57.5 million budget calls for no increase in the property tax, holding at 89 cents per $100 valuation, as well as appropriating more than $1.8 million from the fund balance to plug a gap between expected expenses and expected revenues. The proposed budget is 4.5 percent more than the 2022-23 budget.

The budget does increase part time firefighter pay to $15 per hour from $14. The $16 amount was part of the public safety committee recommendation and that recommendation was not included in the budget.

The “reorganization” of the Vance County Fire Department is not occurring at this time.

Vance County Fire Chief Chris Wright remains the Vance County Fire Marshall at this time.

TownTalk: Chris Wright Talks New EMS And Fire Dept. Building

/by

Any time a call comes in about a motor vehicle crash, first responders spring into action. Whether it’s local law enforcement or a state trooper who dashes to the scene, there also will be a fire truck or rescue squad that responds as well.

Such was the case Wednesday when more than 20 emergency type vehicles were on the scene of an accident on Spring Valley Road.

Vance County Fire Chief Chris Wright was on his way from his home to the gym for his regular workout when the call came in, so he arrived in his personal vehicle.

Wright told WIZS News that there was a large presence and response to the scene, including rescue squad vehicles to the fire department, sheriff’s office and the State Highway Patrol.

By the time Wright arrived, the Extrication Team had begun the process of removing the victim from what was left of the car.

Some of those vehicles have specialized equipment needed for such things as extrication, Wright said. And it means that emergency vehicles, over the years, have gotten bigger as a result.

It’s important to have the most up-to-date equipment possible for first responders to be able to do their jobs, and Wright said it’s also important to have a place that can house those vehicles when they’re not in action.

He said he’s pleased that County Manager Jordan McMillen, Finance Director Katherine Bigelow and the Vance County Board of Commissioners are at least beginning to plan for construction of a new fire department. The commissioners, at their regular meeting earlier this month, approved reallocating $4.5 million to the capital improvement fund to address several projects, one of which is a new fire department. The commissioners identified a new public safety center as one of its five priorities at their recent planning retreat.

“There’s definitely been a need over the last years,” Wright told John C. Rose in a phone interview that was recorded for Thursday’s Town Talk. With the increase in staff, as well as housing fire and EMS in one space, and the number of vehicles for each group, there simply isn’t adequate space for all.

The building was completed in 1960 and added on to in the early 1990’s to provide two additional vehicle bays.

According to Wright, the doorways to the vehicle bays aren’t tall enough to accommodate newer-model vehicles. The way vehicles being built now , “we almost have to have them specially built,” he noted. That’s just one issue facing him and his department – having to spec out vehicles that will fit – literally – in the facility.

In this time of preliminary planning, there are many factors to consider, Wright said, including whether to continue to house EMS and the fire department together or have them in separate spaces.

He said county officials are now beginning to look at land and different models of buildings as they discern the planning process.

It could take a couple of years, or as many as three years, he said, but he hopes that by the time it’s completed, Vance County will have a facility it can be proud of and one that can be a resource to the community it serves.

CLICK PLAY!

 

Framework Set For Vance County Fire Service Discussion

/by

A full meeting of the Vance County Commissioners occurred today, Wednesday afternoon, for about two hours.  It was a work session for commissioners to hash out differences, ask questions and obtain data from county staff.  Everything done up to and including this latest meeting has constructed the framework for meaningful discussion to continue regarding fire services in Vance County.

It is unclear if enough commissioners are decided on how to proceed with the fire commission study information and the accompanying recommendations already brought before the full board at January’s regular board meeting a couple of weeks ago.

To be more specific, it is unclear if each commissioner has decided his or her position on making the Vance County Fire Department a volunteer department, in that it would be a combination paid/volunteer department if the original fire commission and public safety committee recommendation was followed to a T.  It is also not entirely clear how commissioners would vote on placing two paid part-time fire fighters at each volunteer company five days per week for 11 or 12 hours per day, mostly being what you would call the daylight hours.

When asked by Commissioners Board Chairman Archie Taylor, Commissioners Leo Kelly and Tommy Hester indicated they were satisfied, that they knew how they would vote to proceed.  Commissioners Dan Brummitt and Yolanda Feimster indicated a need for more information.  Brummitt has been a driving force behind the previously stated fire commission data and public safety committee recommendation because he indicates the plans provide more equal protection for all in Vance County with funds being distributed more equally.  Carolyn Faines, who serves as the Chair of the Fire Commission as well as on the Public Safety Committee with Gordon Wilder and Brummitt, did not really say one way or the other but spoke a couple of times about tweaking things so they are in the best interest of all Vance County citizens.

The stated goal of the day by Wilder, who chairs the public safety committee, was to find solutions.

The main take away from the meeting, it seems, is that a fire reorganization or county manager’s report by Jordan McMillan or similar open-ended wording would likely appear on the February 4, 2019 regular board meeting agenda, thus allowing the conversation to continue along with any motions and votes that may take place.

A range of opinions seems to exist from waiting until the 2019-2020 budget starts, to taking action to enact some portions of the recommendation as soon as possible, to a phasing-things-in approach so actual actions take place but do not go too far too fast.

Specific motions could come at the next meeting too, such as funding two paid part timers in each volunteer company, with equal funding assured to departments like Epsom and Drewry which also get funding from and serve portions of Franklin and Warren Counties respectively.

Chairman Taylor made his views known at the top of the meeting.  He said he can support two part timers at each volunteer company.  He said citizens are due the best fire department protection, and he could not support the Vance County Fire Department being volunteer.  He said fire departments really need to be 24 hours per day.

A main point made by Brummitt was that fire protection and first responder calls is a team sport and that the fire commission findings and public safety committee recommendations to date equalize things so all in the county are served and that it takes all, the Vance County Fire Department and the volunteers and EMS and first responders, to get the job done.

A main point made by Commissioner Hester was that if the Vance County Fire Department was not left intact it would hurt the chances of being able to find employee fire fighters in Vance County, it would hurt economic development, and if the Vance County Fire Department was dismantled that we would never be able to put Humpty Dumpty Back Together Again.  He urged not moving too quickly.

Commissioner Wilder seemed to lean, although he said after the meeting to WIZS News he wanted to work on it more, towards his motion made at the regular January meeting of leaving the Vance County Fire Department alone for now and funding the two paid firefighters in each department.  The motion died in that regular meeting for lack of a second.

A fire tax increase of 1.6 to 2.2 cents could be on the horizon too, if the County funds the additional workers, if the County could then fill all the available spots, which is a problem in and of itself, and depends on what is decided ultimately in regards to the Vance County Fire Department and the equipment therein.

In all honesty, it is all terribly confusing and cries out for someone to make a chart or map to visualize it all.  It is all really almost too much to hold in your head as a means of trying to set policy.  There are many good arguments for a variety of existing and proposed measures as well as possible future plans to reexamine fire district lines.

It is worth noting a couple of other things too.  It is perhaps clearer from the outside looking in that some clear options exist and some clear majorities exist on the board, and a majority vote is what is required.

Also, no one is putting down anyone who is a fire fighter, paid or volunteer, or first responder, EMS, Rescue Squad or anyone for the hard work done.  In fact, just the opposite.  Each of these hardworking individuals is really being praised.

Lastly, the Vance County Fire Commission of Carolyn Faines, Doyle Carpunky, Daren Small and Fire Marshall Keith Duncan has done its job and done it well, and so has the public safety committee of Wilder, Faines and Brummitt.  Nothing has been done yet, and all are still discussing it and gathering information.  That’s what they are suppose to do.  The commission, the committee and the commissioners have laid a framework by which the County can proceed with its business.