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Jamestown volunteer fire department urges PSLIT funding as calls and equipment costs rise
Summary
Joe Weider, speaking for the Jamestown Volunteer Fire Department, told Boone County Council that Jamestown is about 500 homes and could double; he said modern equipment and training costs require dependable PSLIT funding for daytime staffing, stipends, and gear replacement.
Joe Weider, speaking for the Jamestown Volunteer Fire Department, asked the Boone County Council to support a public-safety local income tax to strengthen daytime response, retain and recruit personnel, and ensure equipment and training needs are met. Weider described Jamestown as a roughly 500-home community that could double in size and said the department handles structural fires, medical emergencies and vehicle crashes that require well-trained responders.
"Funding through PSLIT would allow us to strengthen our daytime response, retain and recruit qualified personnel, support training," Weider said, outlining options that could include paid daytime coverage, part-time personnel or stipends to help retain volunteers. He noted that turnout gear must be replaced about every 10 years and that modern engines and breathing apparatuses are costly to replace.
Council members asked about coverage area and mutual-aid arrangements; Weider said the department covers about 30 square miles, serves roughly 3,500 people in its service area and relies on mutual-aid agreements with neighboring volunteer departments. He and other presenters repeatedly cited recruitment and training burdens for volunteers as a central reason for seeking predictable PSLIT revenue.
