Residents and firefighters urge council to reconsider single-person daytime staffing at volunteer stations

During public comment on Feb. 17, Larry Richards urged the Oconee County Council to pause a planned policy change that would station a full-time firefighter alone at volunteer stations during day-shift hours. "When a call comes in ... they're going to get in that truck and they're going to drive [to] the location and they're going to wait until other volunteers or other full time people can get there," Richards said, warning that many medical and fire responses require two or more responders.

Richards cited OSHA guidance and Oconee County safety manuals and said those rules "violently recommend" against single-person responses. He described scenarios that would put a lone responder in an impossible position — from medical calls requiring two people to structure fires where entry should not occur without backup — and said the county faces legal and insurance exposure if personnel are placed in conflict with safety procedures.

Richards told the council that five staff had given notice since the policy was announced and that one of three battalion chiefs had resigned, saying he could not implement the policy while assuring safety. Chair responded that the change was a recommendation from the fire commission and that "there's value points on both sides" and that the council would evaluate the suggestion. Weston Richards spoke in support of the same concerns.

The council did not take a floor vote on the policy during the meeting; the chair said he would evaluate the recommendation and follow up with staff.