Members of Jones County Fire Rescue filled the Charlotte Wilson Conference Room to attend a work session about the selection of a new fire chief for the county due to the pending retirement of EMA Director and Fire Chief Don Graham.
The April 16 work session was called to order by County Commission Chairman Chris Weidner. Graham made his intention to retire known the first of the year. His retirement date will be July 11, and at that time he will retire with 15 years of service as the county’s EMA director and fire chief.
The commissioners held a work session with Jones County Fire Department volunteers in February to discuss ideas to make the transition to a new director a smooth one. Station 11 Capt. Vann Collins spoke at that meeting on behalf of the captains with a proposal. The plan was to use part-time firefighters from other departments to fill the full-time positions for the county.
The captains also recommended the current deputy chief, Thomas Coleman, as the next chief. Collins said Coleman would need an assistant and command staff. He said battalion chiefs would oversee the firefighting and do the scheduling.
The plan received a mixed reaction by the commissioners, but at Tuesday’s meeting, it was obvious that four of the five board members were in favor of giving the plan a try.
A social media blitz by an individual opposing the idea did not appear to have any effect on the situation other than motivating the volunteer firefighters to attend the work session en masse to show their support of the plan.
Board members speak
Commissioner Sam Kitchens was the first to speak at the work session. He said the plan had become a hot topic.
“There has been a lot of discussion on social media. Some facts, some not,” he said.
Kitchens said the plan was never to permanently move a full-time position to part-time. He said two people at the top of leadership in the department were about to retire, and the county was looking at options.
In addition to Graham, Karen McMichael announced she would be retiring.
“The current plan is to put the assistant chief as interim chief. In our opinion, that is the best move forward,” he said.
The commissioner said he would like to separate fire and EMA. He said the county has been fortunate to have Graham, who was able to fill both roles.
“We are adding three battalion chiefs with the goal of having 24-hour fire coverage,” he said.
Kitchens said 20 additional part-time firefighter would be hired, and there has been a lot of interest in filling those positions. He said the previous plan was to hire nine full-time firefighters, but that would not give the county 24/7 coverage.
“We just don’t have the numbers for a full-time fire department,” he said.
Kitchens said he has been asked why the commissioners asked for input from the firefighters.
“My answer is who better to ask? These people protect our community every day,” he said.
The commissioner said Graham put an amazing team in place and the plan would put three in the leadership positions instead of two.
Kitchens acknowledged that he and Commissioner John Wood did not agree on the plan.
“John has 30 years of experience as a firefighter, and I value his opinion,” he stated.
Wood agreed it was a big topic. He said he reached out to several other counties for opinions, and the idea of an interim chief was suggested.
“I don’t have a preference, but I want to follow fair hiring practices,” he said.
The commissioner said he was troubled by threats he heard about volunteers quitting.
Commissioner Wendy Vaughn said, when the plan was first presented, she agreed with Wood, but she has realized they do not have time to fill the position.
“What the firemen presented is a good plan. It will be under budget, will have more people at the stations and better response times,” she said. “It’s a win-win for now.”
Commissioner Daylon Martin asked for a show of hands among the firefighters in the room who had more than 10 years of service. A majority of those in the audience raised their hands.
“You’re doing a great job. I appreciate our fire department, and I’m happy you came up with a solution. When you can solve your own problem, that’s fantastic,” he said.
Martin said he was excited about the plan presented by the firefighters.
“All of us are smarter and any one of us. The plan you gave us is going to help us get there,” he added.
The commissioner suggested the money saved with the plan could be spent updating equipment for the fire department.
Weidner said he has heard nothing but support for the firefighters’ plan.
“I thank every one of you,” he said.
The chairman went on to talk about the county’s first fire truck that was built by a group of people in what is now Station 1 before the county could afford to buy one.
Firefighter comments
Capt. John Shipley stated that, in today’s world, people have to think outside the box.
Capt. Gary Harrell said he is in complete support of the plan presented to the commissioners.
“This is the best way to get where we need to go in the future,” he said.
Retired Capt. Jimmy Crutchfield said he was a member of the fire department for 48 years.
“We’ve been through a lot. Don did a good job; he had a difficult row to hoe. Jones County is lucky to have the personnel to take this step. The plan came from the captains,” he said.
Crutchfield said he believes this is the first time that has happened. He said Coleman, the proposed interim chief, has a lot of experience, but there is no way to satisfy everyone.
“If this don’t work, we’ll drop back and punt,” Crutchfield said.
Wood said he appreciated the interim decision, and he appreciates all the volunteers.
“People need to have time for their families, but I’ll support the interim director,” he said.
The commissioner said his support for the fire department is well known. He said one of his big concerns was the number of rescue calls that go unanswered.
Kitchens noted that the firefighters’ plan does not deal with the position of EMA director.
“We are going to have to hire someone to fill that position,” he stated.
As for the unanswered calls, Kitchens said the firefighters’ plan for round-the-clock coverage will get those calls answered.
Weidner asked if anyone in the audience wanted to speak in opposition to the plan. No one came forward.
