CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Montgomery County has over 140 volunteer firefighters across 10 facilities, but as the community continues to grow, so is concern that we need a full-time, paid county fire rescue service.

At a county Budget Committee Meeting on Wednesday, while discussing funding for a new burn tower at the volunteer fire service’s training facility, County Mayor Jim Durrett said he believes the next administration will have to address the issue of a paid fire service.

Durrett’s comments came during a discussion of whether to move money originally earmarked for property for a new Animal Control facility, since that facility will now be one the same property as the future North Clarksville Library Branch.

Durrett told committee members the money could instead be put toward a road and burn tower for the county’s firefighters, allowing them to complete training certifications in-county.

Who pays for Fire Service?

According to their website, the county provides for the Fire Service’s equipment, vehicles, utilities and insurance. The all-volunteer force is responsible for providing their own stations, personnel, fire hall funding and a portion of their operating costs.

In order to meet costs, the Volunteer Fire Service solicits donations and hosts fundraisers throughout the year. Many volunteer firefighters also contribute to the service out of their own pockets.

In 2019, the Volunteer Fire Service responded to 2,895 emergency calls, including 231 fires and 1,714 rescue calls, according to department statistics.

They’re organized into five districts with five primary stations, four substations and the rescue squad:

  • Station 15: 3283 Harris Circle, Palmyra
  • Station 16: 3997 Morgan Circle Cunningham
  • Station 17: 3850 Guthrie Highway, Clarksville
  • Station 18: 200 McAdoo Creek Road, Clarksville
  • Station 19: 2274 Woodlawn Road, Woodlawn
  • Rescue Squad: 1 Providence Boulevard, Clarksville
  • Cumberland Heights Substation: 1030 Cumberland Heights Road, Clarksville
  • Cunningham Substation: 1980 School Road, Southside
  • Woodlawn Substation: 2540 Dotsonville Road, Clarksville
  • Cunningham Substation: 2320 Seven Mile Ferry Road, Clarksville

‘We’ve got to keep doing the work’

Durrett told Clarksville Now that he believes Montgomery County needs to move toward a paid fire service. He said his administration has tried to lay the groundwork for that transition, including studies on possible fire districts, but there are several financial and logistical hurdles.

“We started some legwork on it, but I think we’ve got to keep doing the work,” Durrett said. “By the time you work out all the details and put all the stuff in place, it’ll be time for (a paid fire service). … First and foremost is how do you pay for it?”

Durrett said one of the major obstacles to a paid fire service is ownership of the existing stations. Currently, the Volunteer Fire Service owns their buildings. In order to move to a paid fire service, ownership would have to transfer to Montgomery County.

“It’s just a lot of things like that that have to be worked out. It’s not just going to happen overnight,” Durrett said.

According to Volunteer Fire Service Director Ed Baggett, a population of 26,000 should have at least a hybrid fire department, and Montgomery County, outside the city limits, is more than double that, at nearly 55,000.

“When your calls for service start exceeding what you can keep up with, then you’ve got to do something to have coverage for your people. The only other option is paid personnel. … Are we at the point we need it? I think so,” Baggett said. “We’re going to have to do something.”

Support but by differing means

Durrett has only a few months left as county mayor after deciding not to run for re-election. But both candidates to replace him support the change.

Republican candidate Wes Golden said he would likely support a paid fire service if it were in the county’s budget. He also suggested that a partially paid fire service supported by volunteer firefighters might be the way to go.

“I know that it needs to be improved, and there’s still a lot of moving pieces to that,” said Golden. “I think we owe it to the people who live in the county to provide the best service that we can, but we have to be fiscally responsible as well.”

Independent candidate Jo Ellen O’Connor said a paid fire service is one of her top priorities.

“We should have paid firefighters in the county. There’s no reason not to have paid firefighters in the county,” O’Connor said. “My goal is to get paid firefighters totally. All of them should be paid. … The fact that it’s never been done is mind-boggling to me.”

O’Connor proposed raising the adequate facilities tax to $1 per square foot in order to fund a paid fire service, which would require approval by the County Commission.

Durrett said that while a full-time, paid fire service would ultimately cost the taxpayers of Montgomery County, the benefits of security and reduced insurance costs could be well worth it.