Now that the county’s fire study has been conducted and recommendations received, the big question is: What’s next?

Members of the county’s public safety committee and the fire commission got the report, which was conducted by AP Triton, a company that the Vance County Board of Commissioners selected last summer year to do the study amid questions around how the county’s fire services should be structured.

On Thursday afternoon, AP Triton’s Frank Blackley was on hand to offer an overview of the study and the findings and recommendations it contains. A discussion of the full report is on the agenda for Monday’s regular monthly meeting of the board of commissioners.

The study includes 19 recommendations, the first two being keeping the current Vance County Fire Department as it is and having a separate position for county fire marshal.

The study involved getting lots of information from each of the volunteer fire departments as well as making site visits to each location.

In an overview of stations, Blackley’s presentation to the joint committee included bullet points about conditions at the county’s fire stations.  They are noted below:

• The Kittrell station is inadequate and does not meet the requirements of a modern fire station.
• Bearpond, Drewry and Epsom have ample space and room to expand if needed.
• Cokesbury and Wakins are adequate, but do not have room for expansion.
• Hicksboro’s main station is in fair condition but modified to include one bedroom. The second station only houses a fire truck and has no sleeping rooms.
• Townsville is adequate, but minimal room to expand.
• Vance County Rescue Squad’s facility is insufficient and no dedicated (space) for training or meeting and limited space for growth.
• VCFD main station is shared with EMS. Office space is inadequate for both agencies. The station lacks sufficient space for training and meetings.
• The Kerr Lake station is in good condition.

The study looked at equipment, including trucks and other apparatus vehicles used by firefighters. Most of the trucks are in fair or good condition, the report states, but most of the tenders/tankers are older models. Maintenance costs make older equipment more expensive to operate, but, Blackley said, the cost of new trucks – and their lengthy delivery times – is prohibitive for many departments.

Blackley’s overview included 6 key findings, which are below:

• Service demand is heavier around Henderson down into Bearpond. Converting VCFD to volunteer would reduce service in the area with the highest demand.
• The Communication Center does not apply NFPA recommendations for call handling and dispatching.
• VCFD has slow reaction times when responding to an accident.
• There is not an adopted county-wide incident management system.
• The departments do not have consistent protocols and SOGs (standard operating guidelines)
• There has been no formal voluntary adoption of NFPA standards

The study also noted a need for the county to develop a formal, written countywide incident management system to create consistency among departments. And Blackley noted a need for adopting National Fire Protection Association standards and to have consistent protocols and standard operating guidelines in place across departments.

The study included a pathway to implement the recommendations, starting with the creation of a Fire and Rescue Services Working Group to develop and prioritize goals.

Blackley said the findings of the fire study can help county leaders address challenges to provide fire coverage to a growing county population, “how to determine what those resources are going to look like and plan for the future.”

At some point , he said, there will be an increase in population because of growth spreading out from the Triangle area.

He also said that the current fire tax rate will not keep up with inflation, noting that without an increase in the fire tax, the fund would be in the red by 2029. The current fire tax rate is 8.9 cents per $100 valuation, and the proposed fire tax rate in the 2024-25 budget is 5.9 cents per $100.

The complete report can be found on the county’s website, www.vancecounty.org.