At Monday’s Vance County Board of Commissioner’s meeting, County Manager Jerry Ayscue recommended to members that the county authorize funding to hire two additional firefighters for the Vance County Fire Department.
The approximate $40,000, which would be secured from the county’s contingency fund, would be in addition to two positions already authorized by the county at the beginning of the fiscal year in the new budget.
The two previously authorized positions have yet to be hired, although City/County Fire Chief Danny Wilkerson has indicated that he is actively working to fill them.
Originally, Wilkerson had requested six new firefighter/rescue postions in order to bring each shift at the county’s Fire Station 3 to ten personnel. This would allow two rescue/EMT workers per each of three ambulances and four firefighters to man the firetruck.
One firetruck and four men is the state’s minimum allowed response to a structure fire. Two fire trucks and eight firefighters is a standard response to a structure fire in the area, and is the standard response in the city of Henderson. During an unannounced inspection this summer, it was determined by the State Department of Insurance Office of the Fire Marshall that the county had failed to meet the standard.
Ayscue told the board that the plan, made in consultation with fire personnel and Wilkerson is to hire two additional positions this year and two next year in order to meet the threshhold of ten firefighters/EMTs per shift.
A copy of the plan may be viewed here.
The county manager indicated that the state fire inspector seemed “happy” with the solution.
When Commissioner Danny Wright inquired as to whether the fire department would meet state standards, Ayscue replied that he could not answer definitely, but that the board’s action would be “a strong, good faith effort”.
Board member Deborah Brown stated that a plan was needed for the entire county. Wilkerson responded from the audience that he was “already working on it”.
Wilkerson also indicated that he was “satisfied” with the solution to the immediate problem. He said he would love to see the county have a Class 4 rating like the city has. He stated that the water system would be “a big plus”.
A motion to follow Ayscue’s recommendation regarding staffing passed with no opposition.
The plan will be put into the form of a letter and mailed to the appropriate state office by Wilkerson before the October 19 deadline.