With a new fire board in place for his constituents, District 4 Supervisor Jeff Smith is hoping a comprehensive plan will be next in line for the county’s fire services.
“I think we need a comprehensive plan for our the county’s fire departments,” Smith said. “We have a need and desire to improve all of our facilities and do a long-term plan with a financial commitment from the board of supervisors.”
With 19 fire stations, manned by 145 volunteer firemen and spread among five districts, repairs are needed in many of the districts. County Fire Coordinator Sammy Fondren has recently been given approval by the board to build a new substation in District 3 and a main station in District 2.
Fondren said there are new stations in both Districts 5 and 3. Although District 3 has a new fire station, Fondren said it is time to replace the Rural Hill substation on Pleasant Hill Road.
“This building is deteriorating,” Fondren said in June. “It is old and it is in need of being replaced. We want to tear down the old building and replace it with a metal building. This will be a very plain, minimal building. The current substation has been there for 25 years.”
The new main station in District 3 will be the model for the proposed station in District 2.
After an absence of more than 10 years, the Town of Crawford and other entities in District 4 now have a six-person fire board in place. Smith said the board will oversee things such as finances, training, equipment and facilities. He said he also hopes it will help cut down on response times and improve the overall quality of service in his district.
“I don’t know if starting a board will improve response times, but it will definitely help improve the services,” Smith said. “I’m hoping down the road that maybe we can have a couple of full-time staff members. Having a comprehensive plan for the district will take care of the big picture, from service to quality, equipment and facilities, it will definitely improve the fire services of Lowndes County.
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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