County fire chiefs press for more staffing, station and apparatus funding

Chiefs from multiple Alexander County volunteer and combination fire departments told the Board of Commissioners May 5 they need increased funding for staffing, apparatus replacement and capital projects to maintain response levels.

Chief Ashley (Tasha) Starnes of Bethlehem Fire Department described plans for a second station to reduce uncovered areas outside a five-mile response radius and to improve ISO coverage. Starnes said the proposed three-bay station would house sleeping space for eight firefighters and that a preliminary cost estimate for the facility is $2.5 million to $3 million; she also cited a previously estimated $125,000 water-line expense to bring an 8-inch line to the proposed station site. Starnes said a new pumper/tanker she and vendors recently priced would cost about $967,000.

Ellendale Fire Chief Donovan Howe said Ellendale operates with paid staff supplemented by volunteers and that the department needs to maintain paid staffing to keep response capability across a roughly 50-square-mile district. He noted turnout-gear estimates and NFPA replacement guidance; turnout gear quotes in the packet put four sets at roughly $19,615 in the most recent quote, and NFPA recommends replacing interior structural firefighting gear every 10 years.

Hidnight (Hidden) Fire Chief Scott Mitchell, Sugarloaf Chief Josh Chapman, Central Alexander Chief Matt Jordan and Vashti Chief Cody Fox each summarized call volumes, staffing patterns, aging apparatus and rising equipment costs. Mitchell said his department had 546 calls in 2024 and average dispatch-to-on-scene time of 7 minutes 29 seconds; Jordan reported Central Alexander had 1,003 calls last year and described the county's busiest call load and mutual-aid responsibilities.

Several chiefs proposed specific funding options: increased county funding to the existing paid-staff program (historically listed at $60,000–$63,000), small increases such as $15,000 county contributions, or local tax increases (examples discussed by chiefs included a 1¢ or 3¢ increase in some proposals to fund local department needs). Chiefs warned that equipment costs have risen substantially (example: mask/bottle/frame package quoted at roughly $8,500 in 2023 and quoted at $9,969.96 in 2025; apparatus new-in-2022 priced then at $750,000 and now estimated as high as $1.2 million).

Commissioners thanked the chiefs and noted taxpayers' constraints; one commissioner said the board will "try to get you what you got to have but sometimes we don't get all we need or want." No formal appropriation or vote on additional funding occurred at the meeting; chiefs asked the board to consider funding options as the county finalizes its budget.