Boonville volunteer firefighters ask Yadkin County commissioners for more funds as apparatus age

John Bull, a firefighter and co-chair of the Boonville Community Volunteer Fire Department board, told the Yadkin County Board of Commissioners during public comment on June 2 that the department needs increased funding for apparatus maintenance, station repairs and staffing.

Bull said the department typically budgets about $25,000 a year for apparatus maintenance but has been spending 2.5 to 3 times that amount in recent years. “This year is no different; we have already spent about 2.5 to 3 times more than was budgeted for repairs,” he said, and provided the board with a Fiscal Year 2025–26 budget review document prepared by Chief Brandon Renegar.

The speaker described the local fleet as older than typical replacement age. “The average age of our apparatus is about 20 years old,” Bull said, and added that procuring used apparatus can still carry substantial maintenance costs. He also said the station building, constructed in the 1980s, shows serious settling and structural issues and that driveway and parking areas need repair.

Bull raised staffing and pay as ongoing problems: recruitment of volunteers is difficult, and retention of paid staff is constrained by wages that are not competitive with neighboring counties. He said many potential volunteers hold other jobs and struggle to find time for required training and certifications. Bull also warned that the department’s self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs) “will reach their end-of-life in the next 2.5 years” and that replacement will be expensive.

Chairman David Moxley acknowledged Bull’s five-minute public-comment time and said the commissioners would review the budget document he provided. No formal action was taken that evening related to the fire department funding request; the comments were entered into the record during the public-comment period that ended at 7:16 p.m.

Why it matters: Volunteer and small municipal fire departments rely heavily on predictable capital and operating funding; aging apparatus, shrinking volunteer pools and expensive equipment replacement cycles can affect local emergency response capacity and budget priorities.

What the record shows: The board did not vote on any proposal connected to the fire department during the June 2 session. County staff and commissioners will have the budget process and hearings later in June where such requests can be considered.