Person County allocates $132,000 for fire and rescue equipment; board approves fund‑balance allocation

Person County commissioners on Jan. 6 approved an allocation of $132,000 to support two emergency services requests: 12 replacement portable radios for Timberlake Lake Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department and funding to refill SCBA and SCUBA bottles for the Person County Rescue Squad.

County Manager Kathy explained that the Fire Chiefs Association reviewed requests from both organizations and recommended allocating $66,000 to each entity. She said $106,290 was available in the current fiscal year's fire and rescue tax fund and that the board could approve a $25,710 fund‑balance allocation to make up the difference; the fund balance was described as sufficient to cover the allocation.

Aaron Lavin, chief of the Person County Rescue Squad, told commissioners the squad could supplement the difference from its budget if necessary. "I can supplement that with some of our budget," Lavin said, noting the request was for equipment that serves the county.

Timberlake Lake Fire Chief Jason Fletcher described compatibility and lifecycle issues for the radios: some older radios cannot be updated to meet new TDMA requirements and would become unusable after July 1. "Come July 1, they'll pretty much be a paperweight," Fletcher said, explaining the department's preference for Motorola units based on battery and programming compatibility with existing apparatus.

Commissioners voted to allocate $106,290 from the current budgeted line item and $25,710 from the fund balance to cover the total $132,000 recommended by the chiefs association. The motion passed and was recorded in the meeting minutes.