Oconee County fire advisory panel elects leadership, names committees for 2026

Travis Collins was elected chair of the Oconee County Fire Service Advisory Commission for 2026 and Larry Wilkerson was elected vice chair during the commission’s Jan. 15 meeting. Commissioners also approved corrected minutes from prior meetings and made a series of committee appointments.

The commission opened nominations and voted to confirm Collins as chair and Wilkerson as vice chair. Members discussed and accepted edits to the December 18 workshop minutes, including correcting a name to Aaron Smith and clarifying an FDID reference, and agreed to strike an erroneous reference to specific response “times” in one paragraph.

The commission then set up several standing and ad hoc groups for the year. The awards committee will include representation from both the fire commission and the rescue commission to review nominations; nominations were discussed for a one-seat awards committee appointment tied to the Chiefs Association. A training committee was formed to inventory equipment at the Hamilton Career Center and to coordinate with regional training (including possible ties to Tri-County technical classes). The communications committee will explore options for a countywide communications director and radio system grants; nominees included Truman (Nicholas), Steven Swofford and Chris Smith.

Miss Maddie (staff) will post an executive-session agenda item at the next meeting to finalize station staffing expectations and to receive reports back from each region. The meeting adjourned after routine business.