Macon County cancels Burningtown-Iotla Fire Department contract
The Macon County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to terminate the contract with Burningtown-Iotla Fire Department.
From YouTube
After over a year of discussion, Macon County has canceled is contract with the Burningtown-Iotla Fire Department and has begun working toward changing the Cowee Fire Department’s contract to provide permanent coverage to the areas BIFR used to have jurisdiction over.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal conducted an unannounced inspection on Aug. 26. While the department passed, it was with the lowest possible score.
At the Sept. 9 meeting of Macon County Commissioners, it was noted that the following Friday, Commissioners Barry Breeden and Danny Antoine also came out and observed firefighters execute the procedures to haul water, often required in the rural fire district as hydrants are few and far between.
The standard is that firefighters should be able to establish a flow rate of 250 gallons per minute within five minutes of arriving on-scene, and they must provide continuous flow for two hours.
As the test began, there was a traffic collision call that necessitated a response, so Chief Kenneth McCaskill headed out on the call as the others stayed back to complete the procedure. While Breeden said he thought the effort was honest, he also thought there was a lack of leadership once the chief was gone, and the task was completed inefficiently. He considered that the anomaly was the perfect opportunity to see how the crew could respond during an uncertain change of events.
“What we saw was a good effort. They’re good people, great women and men out there trying to do the best they can, but there was a serious lack of leadership, which I think was the perfect scenario. If the chief isn’t there, who’s in charge?” Breeden said.
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Ultimately, both Breeden and Antoine stated that they felt the department was not up to standard, admitting that while they may not have expertise in fighting fires, they consulted with people who do.
The vote to terminate the contract was unanimous.
McCaskill, who spent a good deal of time during both the August and September meetings fighting for the continued existence of his department, voiced concern that if the department’s contract were terminated, there would be unresolved debt that would become the burden of the department’s nonprofit board; however, County Attorney Eric Ridenour indicated that the county could likely handle absorbing that debt, as well as repurposing its equipment.
On Sept. 11, Cowee Fire Chief Dustin Pendergrass issued a release confirming that it had entered into an agreement with the county to “ensure uninterrupted emergency coverage.”
“The 5-mile protection area from our Oak Grove Station and our Mason Branch Station will provide adequate coverage to a majority of the Burningtown and Iotla communities,” Pendergrass wrote.
However, the statement indicates that BIFR isn’t fully cooperating and hadn’t yet granted CVFR access to its facilities.
“If the BIFR Board of Directors refuse to cooperate with CVFR’s Board of Directors, several homes in the Upper Burningtown area could potentially lose their ISO Class 4 Rating. I strongly encourage them to relinquish control of both fire stations and all equipment,” Pendergrass wrote. “The Citizens of Burningtown and Iotla own these buildings and this equipment, and we are prepared to work in a professional and timely manner to ensure the safety and protection of the citizens.”
Pendergrass further noted that the current situation shouldn’t have an immediate impact on insurance rates.
“Soon we will go through a full ISO inspection where we hope to lower your rate to a Class 3 to match what we currently provide to the citizens of Cowee and Oak Grove,” Pendergrass wrote.
Pendergrass ended the release by stating that the department hopes to hold a community meeting open to residents of Burningtown, Iotla, Cowee and Oak Grove communities.
