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Volunteer firefighters, chiefs tell council new policies and proposed fire tax threaten volunteer service
Summary
Volunteer company members and leaders told council that a new volunteer policy (SOP 7.19) and a proposed fire tax would hamper recruitment and operations, and one chief said a 2021 ordinance reduced volunteer chiefs' authority.
Volunteer fire-company members and leaders used public comment to criticize recent policy changes they say are making volunteer service harder and to oppose a proposed fire tax.
Michael Seabright, who identified himself as a member of Friendship Fire Company, said volunteer companies own and maintain their stations and apparatus and disputed recent media coverage that he said suggested volunteers were fiscally unstable. "The purchase of new apparatus is the sole financial responsibility of the fire companies," he said, adding that volunteer fundraising remains essential.
Ryan Launas, a former volunteer of roughly 111/2 years, opposed the proposed fire tax and outlined several provisions in the city's SOP 7.19 (issued 08/01/2025) he said limit volunteers' roles: a mandatory 12-hour monthly shift requirement, a minimum of two special events per year, removal of a firefighter-only position that he said limits volunteers to exterior tasks unless they hold specific city certifications, and a requirement that volunteer leadership go through city processes to reinstate volunteers after disciplinary actions. "These are reasons why I do not support the tax," Launas said and offered to provide supporting documentation to councilors.
Noah Myers, chief of Shawnee Volunteer Fire & Rescue, said volunteers remain committed to the community but that restrictive participation requirements have discouraged new recruits balancing careers and families. Myers noted Shawnee's recent procurement and deployment of new apparatus and said the volunteer system is "being tested" after a 2021 ordinance made the Winchester fire & rescue chief the chief of all departments, which he said reduced volunteer chiefs' authority. "When volunteers begin to feel their voice no longer matters, the system ... begins to weaken," Myers said.
Speakers called on council to clarify the volunteer policy, consider exceptions or alternative staffing requirements that preserve volunteer participation, and to recognize volunteer companies' investments in equipment. Council did not adopt policy changes at the meeting; speakers said they would make documentation available to council members on request.
