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Volunteer chiefs warn paperwork, training demands threaten arch/millan fire coverage
Summary
Volunteer fire chiefs told the commission state paperwork, new training hours and grant administration are pushing volunteers out; chiefs urged county support, such as a county-level fire marshal or administrative help, to keep rural departments functioning.
Jay Lang, chief of the Arch volunteer fire department, urged the Roosevelt County Commission to act before volunteer departments begin shutting their doors.
“We're all working to keep these departments running but we got to have some help,” Lang said, describing rising state reporting requirements, audit demands and training-hour thresholds that are straining volunteer capacity. He said the paperwork load can mean chiefs spend 20–40 hours per week on administrative tasks and that assistant chiefs are declining to step up.
Lang and other volunteer leaders asked the county to consider two options: press legislators and state agencies to reduce administrative burdens for volunteer departments, or establish a county-level Fire Marshal or administrative post that could manage grants, compliance, and training coordination across multiple rural departments. Commissioners asked staff to research Curry County’s shared Fire Marshal model and to prepare written options; they also encouraged letters of support and advocacy at the state level.
Commissioners said they will discuss potential county-supported administrative help and asked staff to invite Curry County or other jurisdictions that use a shared Fire Marshal to describe their model at a future meeting.
Next steps: staff will report back with examples, potential costs, and proposed scope for a county-level position or other administrative arrangements.
