Fire chief urges planning for emergency access on new trails; county to explore requiring all-terrain vehicles from developers

Henry County's fire chief told the Board of Commissioners that expanding trails and trail connectivity increase challenges for emergency response and urged the county to require or secure all-terrain vehicles for rescue access in new subdivisions and trail networks.

At a public hearing on development matters, the fire chief said emergency responders increasingly encounter injured or lost people on trails where fire trucks and ambulances cannot reach them. "We can't take a fire truck or ambulance to those locations," the chief said. "Having some sort of all-terrain vehicle where we can get to these folks...is our concern from fire rescue." The chief noted the county has a few such vehicles but will need more as trail connectivity grows.

Commissioners and the county manager discussed how to address the need through development conditions. The county manager said staff will work with planning and the county attorney to see whether developers can be required to provide an ATV or side-by-side vehicle for public-safety use and whether those contributions could be offset with impact-fee credits similar to road-work credits. The manager said the goal would be to have one such vehicle designated in each district for quicker response.

The board also discussed requiring trail design to consider emergency access during the planning-review process and asked staff to recommend specific language and implementation steps. No ordinance or code change was adopted at the meeting; the board provided direction for staff to draft potential conditions and to return with recommendations during permit or code-update stages.

The fire chief and several commissioners emphasized that adding physical trail connectivity should be paired with planning for emergency access to ensure public safety as the county expands walking and recreational infrastructure.