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Newton County firefighter warns department ‘in crisis,’ urges board action
Summary
A Newton County firefighter told commissioners the county’s fire department is losing personnel, leaving apparatus undermanned and creating safety risks; the board heard the appeal during citizen comments but took no immediate action at the meeting.
A Newton County firefighter told the Board of Commissioners on June 17 that the county’s fire department is facing a staffing crisis and urged elected officials to act.
"We are losing people every day," said James Franklin, a 22-year department member and current fire safety educator. "We have fire trucks that we cannot man that are just sitting idle. We have other fire trucks that have 2 people on them. Two people is not safe for Newton County citizens." Franklin came during the general citizen-comments portion of the meeting to describe staffing and readiness concerns.
Why it matters: Franklin said understaffing affects both firefighter safety and public safety because apparatus may run with insufficient crew sizes or remain out of service. He asked the board to take steps to address recruitment, retention and staffing so fire units can be safely operated.
Board response and context: Commissioners acknowledged the comment and the need to consider public-safety staffing amid competing budget and service demands. The item was presented during public comment; no formal action or vote followed during this meeting. Franklin said he prays for department members and is seeking board support to prevent the consequences of inaction.
Next steps: The board did not announce immediate follow-up steps during the meeting. Franklin’s remarks add to ongoing fiscal and operational discussions county leaders will weigh as they implement the adopted FY26 budget and consider public-safety staffing and resource allocations.
