Residents press council for hydrants and faster fire response; chief explains mutual aid limits

A resident asked the Laurens County council to fund five hydrants and to replace a 4-inch water line on Alba/Archer, saying county staff told him replacement might take 20 to 30 years without additional funding.

That concern was echoed by another long-time resident who said slow response times in parts of the county — “when it takes 15, 20 minutes to get somebody to your house” — pose a public-safety risk. The resident also alleged difficulties volunteering and said he had documentation about county spending and past problems.

The chief of the Green Pond Fire Department responded that the county uses mutual aid: “When we have a call, multiple stations are called — paid stations, volunteer stations,” he said, explaining that daytime staffing can be limited and that nearby stations can be routed to assist. He invited county officials to inspect department operations.

The chief also told the council that compliance with OSHA standards is constrained by county funding, saying departments are “up to OSHA regulations as the county has the money to let us be up OSHA regulation.” He encouraged officials to review local operations and invited oversight.

Councilors acknowledged the concerns and said they would follow up with relevant staff (including the county official named Jeff in public comment) to examine the hydrant and water-line request and to coordinate with fire departments on readiness and funding.

Next steps: staff follow-up was promised; no specific funding commitments or formal vote on allocations were recorded in the transcript.