Jonesville Fire Department to close [The Tribune, Elkin, N.C.]

Dec. 30--The people who have relied on the Jonesville Fire Department for more than 50 years will soon count on Arlington Fire and Rescue to provide coverage.

Despite the department's probable closure, its members are still trying to keep it open.

"I told the members of the fire department during our meeting Monday night that it would probably be our last meeting, and the fire department would not exist after the first of January," said Lindbergh Swaim, mayor of Jonesville and interim chief of the Jonesville Fire Department.

"When we heard we were closing, we were thinking, 'What can we do?' So we went on a membership drive," said Gary Godsey, a member of the Jonesville Fire Department.

"Every reason the board gave us for closing the department, we went in and took it away," he continued. "The first was membership. We fixed that; we doubled our membership from 14 to 28."

"I know for a fact we have 20-plus members with applications pending and several of which are state certified firefighter instructors," said Hal Simpson, assistant chief of the department.

"They then said we didn't have the community's support," said Godsey. "We fixed that. Every reason they gave us, we fixed it."

A 'Save the Jonesville Fire Department' petition began, and members of the department were able to secure 453 signatures from community members, demonstrating their support for the department.

"It only took me four days or so to get together," said Godsey. "The city council didn't even want to look at it."</p>

"Unfortunately, the town council is not listening to any of it. It seems to be a done deal," said Simpson.

"I believe at this point the town council has made the decision to move forward with the collaboration--the word I like to use for it--with Arlington Fire and Rescue, and unless something changes drastically, I don't see the council members changing that decision," said Scott Buffkin, town manager.

"The contract we are working on with Arlington Fire and Rescue is that the (Arlington) department will be taking over fire service for the Town of Jonesville as of January 1," said Buffkin. "It is entirely possible our fire department is going to have to operate two to three days into January simply because all 'the i's have not been dotted and the t's have not been crossed,' but it is very close to happening at this point."

"I really can't say anything right now because the contract hasn't been finalized," said Swaim. "If the (Arlington Fire and Rescue) board attorney makes any changes in it, it will come back to the town board for a vote."

"The town council has agreed to the wording as it is now in the agreement," said Buffkin, noting the contract will not be finalized unless approved by the Arlington Fire and Rescue board of directors during their meeting early next week.

"I regret that we could not have been more forthcoming; however, due to the sensitive nature of the discussions with Arlington Fire and Rescue, we did not want to make any public announcements until we had decided upon our course of action," he said.

Buffkin said the driving force behind the decision to close the department was the lack of members. In October, due to low numbers of personnel, the Jonesville Fire Department failed an inspection conducted by the Office of the State Fire Marshal within the North Carolina Department of Insurance.

North Carolina fire departments must meet requirements to be certified with a 9-S rating for insurance grading purposes. Under the personnel section of the state 9-S rating requirements, a fire department must have a minimum of 20 personnel with 18 designated as firefighters and two as traffic personnel, or the department must show documentation that an average of 12 firefighters responded to the previous 20 structure fires.

According to a letter dated Nov. 8 from the Office of the State Fire Marshal to the town manager of Jonesville, the department failed the inspection due to low personnel numbers, inability to meet minimum response requirements and having a chief officer that had not completed Chief 101.

"The state has given us one year to correct the problems, and, unfortunately, the town council has given us no days," said Simpson.

"We had no notice whatsoever," said Godsey. "The history is that the city council makes decisions about the fire department without discussing it with the fire department. They should have given us a chance to do whatever we needed to do to keep the station. This is speaking as a Jonesville citizen--they made such a drastic decision without notifying me."

"We really have been debating and discussing the best course of action," said Buffkin. "We didn't know what to tell the department or the town because no iron-clad decision had been made. We didn't want to say anything that would close any doors.

"An announcement was not planned until the contract has been signed, sealed and delivered," he continued. "I expect that to happen early next week."

"That fire department has been here for 54 years," said Simpson. "Personally, I think closing the fire department is an embarrassment to the Town of Jonesville.

"What can I say? We came back and tried to pull it back together," he continued. "My members assured me they would be there, and they have been. Every fire call, every medical call was covered and met state requirements for the last two months. The Town isn't listening."

"I saw how bad the fire department needed help," said Godsey, who joined the department at the beginning of this month. "So I just threw myself into it on top of two full-time jobs. I've put in 50 hours a week in a volunteer position, and this is the thanks we've gotten from the city council."

"It's a regrettable thing, but if we don't have the members, it is probably the best thing," said Swaim. "I regret that we had to do this. I didn't have a say-so in this. A lot of people are not going to like it, but I can't help it. I did all I could and we did all we could to keep the fire department going. The commissioners had decided they just didn't want to do it any longer."

"The loss of the Jonesville Fire Department as an entity--Station 17 has been around since the late '50s--just the thought of that going away is a shame," said Buffkin. "Knowing the history behind the department and all the time and efforts given during that time, it's a shame to see that going away. However, we hope that by combining our efforts with the Arlington Fire Department, we can provide a better service for our citizens."

Buffkin said the contract with Arlington Fire and Rescue will allow for a greater membership base.

"Declining membership is something we've seen in our department, and I don't think it is unique to Jonesville," he said. "Society has changed. People are not as willing to volunteer. At the same time, the state has increased the requirements for volunteers. Previously, people could volunteer casually. Now, volunteers must be committed. As our population has gotten older and declined, I believe that has been a contributing factor for the decline in membership at the fire department.

"By increasing our district, it brings people from the rural area of Arlington and people from the Town of Jonesville, creating a bigger pool of people to draw from to be involved with the fire department," he continued. "We also won't be duplicating resources or equipment with tax money. We are hoping it will be a money-saving measure for everyone in the area in the long-term."

"I hate to see it happen, but that's just the way it is," said Swaim, who served as the chief of the department from 1958-2002. "We can't do something about everything in our lives. Sometimes we just have to accept it as it comes."

What does this mean for Jonesville?

Taxes

"The fire departments have a service district, and the county commissioners set the tax rate that applies within that district," said Scott Buffkin, town manager. "Arlington Fire and Rescue's fire tax district will be extended to cover Jonesville. Arlington Fire and Rescue's current tax rate is eight cents per $100 valuation. The town has been supporting our current fire department at what represents close to seven cents (per $100 property valuation).

"If the people in the town are going to see an increase on their tax rate because of the fire department, the town board feels that it can lower the property tax," he continued. "In effect, their town tax should ideally decrease an equivalent amount to what their county tax will increase. They would be paying less to the Town of Jonesville and more to Yadkin County. That's not something I'm saying will happen. That will be something decided by the board when we look at the budget."

Buffkin noted the town board does not, however, decide the tax rate that applies within the Arlington fire district.

"The eight cents could change," he said. "I can't say it will be eight cents going forward."

ISO rating

According to officials with the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the ISO rating for the Town of Jonesville will not change from a Class 5 because Arlington is rated Class 5/9E. Any homes and businesses that are farther than six miles from the district's fire department will be covered by the 9E rating, according to Keith McLeod, ratings and inspections supervisor of inspections, and A.C. Daniels, ratings and inspections senior field inspector.

Insurance

"As far as insurance ratings, we don't expect our insurance rates to change at all," said Buffkin. "The town is currently rated a 5. The lower that number is, the lower the insurance rate is. We hope it will be enhanced due to the combination of our forces."

McLeod and Daniels with the Office of the State Fire Marshal said there will be no effect on homeowner's or commercial insurance prices because the ISO ratings will continue to be a Class 5 for the town.

Response Time

"If there is any difference in response times, it should be very slight," said Buffkin. "The Arlington Fire and Rescue building is just down the street on South Main Street."

Response times should not be negatively affected because the Arlington Fire Department station is located in the Town of Jonesville only a few blocks away from the Jonesville station, according to McLeod and Daniels. The officials with the Office of the State Fire Marshal also noted Arlington Fire Department is planning to respond with an engine out of the old Jonesville station whenever necessary.

Equipment

"Some of our equipment will be going to Arlington as a consideration of the contract--most notably Fire Engine 1704," said Buffkin. "Our intention is to try to sell the new truck," he said of the 2010 E-One Typhoon pumper truck rolled out by the Jonesville Fire Department in January of this year.

"There are a total of six vehicles in the department," he said. Buffkin said one vehicle has been surplused, Fire Engine 1704 is being given to Arlington Fire and Rescue and the newest engine will likely be sold.

"That leaves three vehicles the Town will be retaining for use by other town departments, most likely the water department, but that is still to be determined."

Volunteer members

"The members of our department will be encouraged to join Arlington Fire and Rescue or some other department," said Buffkin. "They will be allowed to take their turnout gear with them if they want to join Arlington or another department."

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