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County fire chiefs report rising mutual-aid calls as volunteer ranks thin
Summary
Matt Haddle, president of the Hardin County Fire Chiefs Association, told the court that half of March calls required mutual or automatic aid, and he urged wider awareness of volunteer shortages and continued investment in shared records systems.
Matt Haddle, president of the Hardin County Fire Chiefs Association, briefed the fiscal court on April 14 about volunteer fire services, mutual aid reliance and a county-wide records management rollout.
Haddle said there were 238 runs in March and 119 of those required either mutual aid or automatic aid. "Fifty percent of the calls either required a mutual aid or automatic aid," he said, adding that daytime staffing has declined as volunteers hold regular daytime jobs and fewer people are available to respond during working hours.
He described automatic-aid agreements between neighboring departments (for example, Vine Grove and Rayville) and said the county has started using a shared records system that reduces run-report time from roughly 10–15 minutes to two or three minutes. "That has helped us out as county fire departments a whole lot," Haddle said.
Nut graf: Fire leaders told the court the combination of high mutual-aid use, a drier season with brush-fire risk, and recruitment challenges makes county coordination and system efficiencies essential.
Court members asked for clarifications about why mutual aid is needed; Haddle explained the volunteer workforce shift and encouraged county support of the chiefs’ association and training programs. He invited magistrates to attend the association’s monthly meeting.
Ending: The court thanked the association. No formal action was taken; the presentation was informational.
