Chiefs from several of Vance County’s fire departments have voiced opinions and concerns regarding a proposal to restructure the county’s only full-time paid fire department and make it a combination of paid and volunteer staff.
That proposal, discussed in some detail at a meeting Wednesday of the county’s Public Safety Committee, will be presented to the full board of commissioners at a special called meeting on Wednesday, June 14.
If commissioners accept the proposal with its associated budget amendments to begin the restructure process, and then adopt the budget changes, the restructure plan would begin.
If the board does not accept the proposal and the budget draft that is before the commissioners now is adopted, no changes would be taking place – at least in the foreseeable future – for the Golden Belt Fire District.
Commissioner Dan Brummitt laid out the basic points of the plan during the 30-minute meeting, which includes hiring a consultant to help the county implement the restructuring process.
In a follow-up telephone conversation earlier today, Epsom Chief Powell Wilkins called the proposal a “vague” that will adversely affect people’s livelihoods. “We need to build off what we currently have,” Wilkins said, adding that “transitioning this department is not going to work.”
Wilkins further stated that business owners within the existing Golden Belt district need to be informed of the proposed restructuring, noting that this district includes areas where the county is seeing economic and industrial development.
Adam “Slug” Pegram, chief at Cokesbury and batallion chief at Vance County/Golden Belt, told WIZS today that his department doesn’t support the restructuring and stated such in a letter of support for the county fire department that was sent to commissioners.
This support is echoed at Bearpond Fire Department, where Billy Jenkins has been chief for two years. Jenkins told WIZS today that he and his team “didn’t want to lose that guaranteed response” that comes from the county/Golden Belt fire department.
“Our stance on redistricting is we want the closest fire truck (to respond) – that person on the 911 call deserves that.”
Doyle Karpunky, who is chief of the Vance County Rescue Squad, president of the Vance County Fire Association, also is president of the Bearpond board said decisions need to be made that are in the best interest of the county, not just one department.
Karpunky told WIZS today that Vance County is the only county among the state’s 100 counties that has this situation. “We are the only county in the state that spends that kind of money on a single department.”
He added that he wants all the departments to be treated equally within the county. Volunteer departments have to raise money to fill the gap that the standard $100,000 annual county allotment doesn’t cover.
“We don’t want to see anyone lose their job,” said Chad Blake, chief at Hicksboro. “At the end of the day, it’s about taking care of citizens.”
Brummitt said the proposal would not gut the Golden Belt Fire Department; rather, the positions would be reduced by attrition over time. According to Brummitt, the state fire marshal’s office has recommended that more volunteers be added to the Golden Belt roster during recent ISO inspections.
“We are not getting rid of the department, we are adding volunteers to support the department,” he reinterated in a phone conversation today with WIZS.
As the county grows, the idea is to have two paid staff at each of the county’s 10 fire departments, with the ultimate goal of having paid personnel in all the departments – a feat that could take years to achieve.
And if the four-call system is implemented, it would mean that four departments would response to a structure fire, Brummitt noted. And since Golden Belt sits in the central part of the county, it is more than likely going to be called on more often to be one of the four units responding.
Several in opposition to the proposal have mentioned increased difficulty in finding volunteers to provide much-needed support to the paid staff in fire department across the county, which seems to be a national trend.
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