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Pender County fire departments present operating and capital requests; several chiefs cite staffing and equipment needs
Summary
Multiple volunteer and combination fire departments told commissioners their FY25-26 budgets ask the county to maintain current support and, in several cases, to add modest increases for staffing, equipment and station improvements.
Fire chiefs and volunteer leaders from Atkinson, Wallace, Rocky Point, Pender Central (Virdot/Pender Central), Maple Hill, Surf City (Northeast Pender) and Penderly delivered their FY25-26 budget presentations to the Pender County Board of Commissioners, describing local needs for staffing retention, equipment replacement and station improvements.
Atkinson Fire Department Chief Rutherford said his district covers about 30 square miles in Pender County and two square miles in a neighboring county. The department asked the county to continue a $138,000 general-fund contribution for paid staffing and requested a $13,243 increase to help with equipment upgrades; the chief said the department has about 24 volunteers and six paid staff.
Wallace Fire Department Chief Tyler Johnson presented a volunteer-operated department that responds to roughly 350 calls a year within…
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