Henderson County approves performance-based rural fire protection contract to guarantee coverage in unincorporated areas

Henderson County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to approve a proposed 2026 rural fire protection contract that ties county funding to quarterly performance criteria and guarantees primary and secondary coverage in unincorporated areas.

The contract, introduced by county counsel, would cap the county’s allotment to each participating fire department and divide payments into quarterly disbursements contingent on meeting specified performance measures. Under the proposal, a contracted department must have at least two personnel available at a station to respond to calls, which county staff and fire officials said will shorten response times for rural areas.

Fire Marshal Mitch Peck told the court that the county historically split funds across some 19–20 departments but has struggled to obtain consistent reporting and response-capability data. He identified four departments expected to meet the new staffing availability requirement as of Jan. 1: Trinidad, Long Cove (county response/nonprofit side), Dunbarrel City, and District 8. County staff and the chiefs association said additional station changes and dispatch overlays would be used to ensure primary and secondary paging for rural calls.

Dennis Selkie of Berryville raised concerns during public comment that draft protection contracts lacked clear definitions, compensation criteria and documented performance measures and could appear more like memoranda of understanding than enforceable contracts. Commissioners and association members acknowledged those concerns and described the contract as an attempt to provide stronger taxpayer oversight while ensuring coverage where emergency-service districts (ESDs) or municipalities do not provide primary response.

Speakers emphasized the importance of accurate, timely reporting to state and federal fire-reporting systems to support grant applications and FEMA reimbursement. County staff and the chiefs association said the county’s recent CAD integration and a newer reporting platform require departments to submit individual incident reports; county leaders said better reporting would produce the data needed for disaster-recovery reimbursements.

Supporters of the contract argued that declining volunteer availability and equipment costs make a change necessary. Some smaller departments raised objections in workshops, saying the paperwork and hourly reporting requirements might outweigh the financial benefit for their volunteers. Commissioners said the county’s responsibility is to guarantee coverage and that concentrating funds on departments that can meet the contract criteria will better ensure a staffed response.

Commissioner Tooley moved to approve the rural fire protection contract agreement and to authorize the county judge to execute agreements with fire departments receiving county funds; Commissioner Spivey seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

The court did not adopt a list of exact payment amounts in public session; several commissioners and the fire marshal said amounts would be used to incentivize participation by departments that can meet the coverage and reporting requirements. The contract also retains a clause referencing emergency services and FEMA coordination dating to earlier agreements; staff said that language serves as a placeholder for future MOUs needed for disaster reimbursement and will rely on improved reporting to document volunteer hours and response activity.

County officials said the contract will be implemented for the 2026 funding cycle and that staff will continue outreach with fire departments and ESDs to finalize operational overlays and reporting procedures.