Vance County Fire Chief Marvin Harrison has accomplished a good bit since coming on board in April.
From equipment purchases and rebranding efforts to training exercises and team-building opportunities, Harrison can check off quite a few boxes on the “to-do” list.
Like most good leaders, Harrison took some time to think about the future of the department and evaluate what it would take to make sure the department remains ready to serve the community in the long-term.
From that process comes this realization for Harrison: “The future of Vance County is bright.”
Harrison discussed his first months on the job on Thursday’s TownTalk, reflecting on where the department had been and how he hopes to lead it into the future.
Over his career, Harrison said he’s learned from mentors about goal-setting and being prepared. He said he’s got a five-year plan and a 10-year plan for the fire department. It’s just how he operates, he said. And although he’s happy with the state of things as they are now, he’ll probably never be satisfied – things can always be better, he said.
There are just a couple of openings right now, if you don’t include a few more positions that weren’t funded, he said. Coming from a larger department to Vance County, Harrison recognized that there simply aren’t the same number of firefighter positions available to a department this size.
“You can never have enough personnel,” he added. Sending a couple of dozen firefighters to a fire call simply doesn’t happen here – it’s more like between 5 and 10.
And because departments have to be ready to cover each other and respond to calls, Harrison said strengthening collaboration is critical.
“In Vance County, we have been asked to do a lot more with less,” he said, adding that he is impressed with the commitment he sees from firefighters in the area to be willing to step in to provide mutual aid.
“Their call can become my call,” Harrison said. “We all have to do our best and always ensure we are communicating with each other to provide the best public service we can.”
As for equipment, Harrison emphasized that purchases his department makes is for equipment that can be used by any of the volunteer departments when it’s needed.
“If we purchase equipment, we want to make sure that all departments know they’re not just for us, they’re for everybody – for every one of the other departments in the county if they need it.”
There’s already a new boat and a couple of UTVs and hopefully some dive equipment will be selected soon. And certainly plans are still underway for a new station, he said.
“Day by day, week by week, we are getting better…We have a game plan (and) we are working to get more,” Harrison said. “We need a lot more, honestly.” Part of that equipment includes trucks. “We need a new fleet in here in our department as soon as possible,” Harrison said.
“We’re just trying to cover all areas and thoroughly planning for the future in Vance County because we want to be mentioned with the ‘best of the best’ when it comes to fire departments and public service.”
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