Firefighters: Are we moving forward or backwards?

Oct. 21--TIFTON -- The Tifton City Council heard from firefighters with the Tifton-Tift County Fire Department at Thursday's workshop to get their opinion on the Tift County Board of Commissioners' proposal to have a joint fire department that would be managed by the county.

Fire Chief Mike Coleman introduced Capt. Bobby Bennett, who thanked the council for allowing him to speak on the matter. Bennett was prepared to answer questions, and Mayor Jamie Cater suggested each council member take turns asking questions.

Councilman Wes Ehlers started by asking Bennett how the firefighters feel about what's going on.

"Our job is stressful," said Bennett. "Not knowing what's going to happen adds stress to everything that we do every day." He said the "not knowing" is the biggest issue for the firefighters.

"They're scared and they have the right to be. The unknown is scary to everyone," he said.

Bennett told the council that he knows they still have things to look over and talk about, but the firefighters want to know what direction they're going in.

"Our lives depend on it, our kids, our families, our houses, everything that we've worked for over the years," he said. "I've been with y'all for 20 years. I love my job. I love being a fireman."

Councilman Chris Parrott said the county wants a management change -- a different direction for the department as a whole. He asked Bennett to elaborate more on the leadership presence of the fire department and the support they get.

Bennett said they get the support they need. He added, "Do we get everything that we need? Of course not. Do we get everything that we want? Of course not. There's been hard times since I've been here. There's been hard times for y'all. Our retirement was put on hold for a little while. We stayed with you. We didn't get raises and different things, but we stayed with you."

"We love doing what we're doing," he said. "Things could always be better. The world could be better, but it is what it is."

Councilwoman Julie Smith, who said she didn't have any questions at the moment, thanked the department on behalf of the council for what they do and their dedication. Her son, Dustin Sanders is a firefighter in the department, and she has another son who volunteers, so she said she knows they do so much good.

"I know this has been incredibly difficult," she said, referring to the uncertainty of having a job.

"I want you to know that I am concerned about our people," Cater told Bennett. "Y'all have been here through thick and thin. I'll follow (City Manager) Larry's (Riner) and the chief's lead, the information that they've gathered we'll listen to."

He said this isn't city against county.

"They want to accomplish something, and we want to be sure about all of this," he said. "Trust me, as far as I'm concerned, that'll go a long way because y'all have stayed with us. I love every one of you."

Bennett said the county is doing what they think they need to do, and if they think that's what's best for them, that's what they need to do.

"The problem that I have with it being a firefighter for 20 years is the plan," he said. "We haven't seen the plan." He noted they were given something about stations, but not really a plan.

"My guys want to know by doing this are we moving forward or are we moving backwards?" he asked. "What are we going to gain from this or what are we going to lose from this if we decide to split or if we decide to stay together and the county runs this? What's going to happen? There are too many variables and there are too many unknowns."

He told the council he knows they can't answer those questions right now, but they are waiting on the answers.

Questioning a lot of issues or requirements that may arise, he noted the majority of their workforce lives in the county.

"There are a lot of issues that could happen," he said.

When speaking about the volunteers, Bennett said he started out as a volunteer.

"Without the volunteers, it's hard to have a fire service," he commented.

He also addressed shift work, noting the firefighters prefer working the 48/96 shift over the 24/48. He said the 48/96 works best for them, having four days off and being able to work another job. He said they're happy with this. He noted it would hurt them if this changes.

Bennett said ISO (Insurance Services Office) is very important when it comes to figuring the fire service. He said it helps the people in the community and businesses, but the biggest benefit is it serves as a great guideline to use to place people and equipment where they need to be so that they can respond in the best way.

He said the firefighters are good men and "they don't deserve this."

"We have a lot to think about and a lot to try to do in the next few months," he said. "We're just looking for your guidance to do the best you can and just let us know."

Capt. Tim Cooper said the county is asking for a stand-alone fire department. "We already have a fire department," he said. "We're already in existence now. We're doing business every day. It wouldn't make sense to me to give all of that away. We've worked so hard to be where we're at now."

He also his guys have concerns about retirement.

"I do believe that these guys give 20-30 years of their time, their lives, their hard work to the city. The city should at least give us something a little bit back," Cooper said.

Vice Mayor Johnny Terrell told the men that they do an outstanding job and thanked them.

"Whatever you do, you can count on me to be with you," he said.

Parrott also commended Cooper, who is his cousin, and spoke about the department's many years of service.

Cooper said if this is about changing management instead of making the department better, he can't wrap his head around that.

"We already have leadership," he said, noting they're doing all they can to make the department better. He said to go with what he's seen so far would be backing up and he wants to be progressive and see the department grow so they can serve the community better.

Ehlers asked the firefighters in the room to raise their hand if they would be in favor of a 24/48 shift. No one raised their hand.

Riner noted the report from their consultant has not come back yet. The county asked to know something by 45 days from the last meeting that Setters and Jones spoke to the council. Once the report is back, the city plans to quickly move forward.

Following a PowerPoint presentation, Coleman said the plan submitted by the county raises many more questions than it provides answers.

Smith asked Coleman if there is there a way to maintain things as they are now and incorporate the new equipment purchased by the county to enhance the ability of those volunteers to respond to fires from their location.

Coleman said ISO does not look at how old or new a fire truck is. He said they already have in place long-range plans under SPLOST projects to purchase additional equipment. He noted it's almost unheard of in the fire service to purchase several new trucks at a time, which poses problems down the road. He said they have a maintenance program in place.

The council also heard from several firefighters. Warren Elder was the first to speak, followed by Lindsey Tucker, Dustin Sanders and others. They expressed their concerns, such as retirement, and commended the current leadership, calling their department a family. The council also heard from local businessman Hal Baxley.

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