Editorials - 01/16/03

Town, county struggle with cost of fire protection

Both meetings ended with more questions than answers as elected officials grapple with providing the county's volunteer fire departments with the equipment and facilities they need to protect the community.

In Sylva, several veteran firefighters told the town's public safety committee of the difficulties the Sylva Fire Department is having recruiting and retaining members. And no wonder, given that firefighters must respond at all hours of the day and night, drive their own trucks to the scene and spend hours on required training, all for zero monetary compensation.

Chief Mike Beck and SFD officers told committee members that Sylva needs an expanded firehouse now and that such a facility will be a requirement if the town moves to a paid fire department.

At the county meeting, the discussion centered around the fairness of county funding. In next year's proposed emergency services budget, prepared by Commissioners' Chairman Stacy Buchanan, each fire department in the county would receive $75,000 with the exception of Sylva, which would get $60,000. Departments with substations (Cashiers has two, Cullowhee has one) would get an additional $15,000 per substation.

Cashiers Chief Randy Dillard said that many departments would be funded at 100 percent while the allotment for Cashiers would be less than 50 percent of his department's budget. Chief Beck of Sylva wondered why his department was projected to receive less when the majority of its district is unincorporated.

Our county is extremely fortunate to have citizens willing to volunteer their time to protect the lives and property of their neighbors. Even with free labor, cash-strapped local governments are struggling to equip the fire departments. The question is obvious and ominous - how will they provide fire protection when they have to pay for labor, too?

Sylva firefighters are right to raise awareness that the sun is setting on the era of all-volunteer firefighting forces. Both Sylva and county officials need to take steps to plan for the day when firefighters, like law enforcement personnel, will draw full salaries and benefits.

In the interim, maybe the town and county could work together to establish a retirement fund or other benefit to make it easier to attract new recruits to a job that is vital to all of us.

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