Washington County Fire Chiefs propose new budget to maintain quality of fire services

With the rising cost of equipment for firefighters and decline of volunteers, fire departments across Washington County have proposed a new budget to maintain their level of service.

TENNILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – With the rising cost of equipment for firefighters and decline of volunteers, fire departments across Washington County have proposed a new budget to maintain their level of service.

Earlier this month, fire chiefs from the Tennille, Sandersville, Davisboro, Warthen, Deepstep, Harrison and Ohoopee fire departments proposed an annual budget of $1.6 million to the Washington County Board of Commissioners.

According to Tennille Fire Chief Lee Strickland, each department already receives $25,000 from the county each year, but it’s not enough to meet the demands of replacing outdated equipment and retaining firefighters.

“There’s just a lot of expense we haven’t had to incur in the past, and it’s very hard to maintain equipment and keep equipment tested with the amount of money we’re getting,” Strickland explained.

Money from the proposed budget would go toward replacing old trucks, providing firefighters with updated safety equipment and reimbursing them for out of pocket expenses related to fire calls.

Chief Strickland says while the quality of fire services in Washington County hasn’t changed, it could be impacted if the Board of Commissioners doesn’t act soon.

He explained that if the budget is approved, it would still take 10 years to get each fire department in the county up to date.

“This is one of the things that we’re gonna have to address either now or later,” Strickland said. “It’s better to address it now than go over there and say, ‘We don’t have a fire truck.’”

Possible sources for funding the budget include a county-wide millage rate increase of 3.7 mills or annual fire fees based on the square footage or acreage of a property.

Chief Strickland says it’s necessary to maintain fire departments because they not only answer fire calls but also perform search and rescue operations, respond to automobile accidents and provide public fire safety education.

In Tennille, the Fire Department is 100% volunteer operated, which is the same for all fire departments across Washington County.

Strickland says if the budget does not pass, he will search for other options so the fire department can continue providing the same level of service it has for the past 30 years.

The fire departments will host three public meetings to discuss the proposed budget beginning in October. Dates and times for the meetings have not been set, but they will take place at the Tennille, Deepstep and Davisboro fire stations.

We will provide updates on meeting dates and times once they are announced.