More firefighters responding to emergencies faster is a strategy that will help save lives, and that’s about to happen in Maury County.
MAURY COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — More firefighters responding to emergencies faster is a strategy that will help save lives, and that’s about to happen in Maury County.
According to the Tennessee State Data Center at the University of Tennessee, Maury County is the ninth fastest growing county in the state. In fact, data showed that the county went from almost 108,000 residents to more than 110,000 between July 2022 and July 2023, which is an increase of more than 2,700 people.
Starting in October, the Maury County Fire Department— an all volunteer agency— will hire six full-time firefighters to keep up with the county’s growth and to help keep citizens safe.
The firefighters will work out of the main fire hall and significantly help increase response times to remote parts of the county, officials said
According to Deputy Chief Richey Schatz, the MCFD’s coverage area is massive, approximately 560 square miles.
“So, we are currently tracking a 20 percent increase in call volume over last year,” Schatz told News 2.
Schatz said when there’s an emergency in rural communities, volunteer firefighters typically respond from home or work. He added that some of the personnel have to come to the station to pick up key apparatus before they can even respond to an emergency.
According to Schatz, this can waste a lot of time and be dangerous for citizens that the agency has pledged to protect and serve.
Depending on weather and traffic conditions, officials say emergencies that occur in Santa Fe, Hampshire, Culleoka, Williamsport or Bethel can take at least 30 minutes to reach.
“There are areas that take us 30 minutes to respond to because of the vast area of Maury county we cover,” explained Schatz. “That is a long response time even if we are immediately responding. So, it is critical to immediately have fire trucks rolling out the door and not have volunteers first respond to the station and then leave.”
Starting in October, the six full-time firefighters will work out of Station 1 located along Mapleash Avenue in Columbia, which is where most of the agency’s response apparatus is kept.
“What it will allow us to do is have two firefighters on duty all the time, they will work a 48 hour on and 96 off schedule,” Schatz said.
In addition, the deputy chief told News 2 that the county commission has allocated $400,000 for the six firefighters who will reportedly make around $50,000 annually.
“Our roadways are highly congested, so it has also made it highly difficult for our volunteers to make it to the station to respond to apparatus,” he said. “So, having personnel at our headquarter station will allow for an immediate response, just having an immediate response from the station and reliable staffing will be a game changer for the department and the citizens of the county who expect a good response.”
Schatz says the department is hiring from within and the six candidates are currently undergoing physicals for the job.
In a statement sent to News 2, Maury County Mayor Sheila Butt said in part:
Having worked with the Maury County Fire Department closely for the past two years, I assure you that they run a tight ship, are efficient and caring, and are one of our greatest assets in Maury County!
Their commitment is further evidenced by the fact that they often hold fundraisers to help supply their own needs. These are men and women are volunteers, not employees of the County. They give their time, energy and resources to serve the people of Maury County.
The current County Commission recognizes their commitment and has shown their appreciation by allocating the funds for them to add 6 full time fire fighters to the Department. This addition will allow them to cut down considerably on response times. Our Department works well with the municipality departments and all of the surrounding area fire departments. The Maury County Fire Department has proven their dedication to protecting the lives and property of the people in Maury County.”
Mayor Sheila Butt
Schatz said the county has also helped the fire department by building new fire stations with living quarters. Some of these volunteer firefighters live in the fire hall rent free, so they can respond to emergencies more readily. However, some of the calls happen when the live-in firefighters are at work or away from the fire hall, so areas are still left unprotected.
According to officials, the six full-time paid firefighters will help alleviate some of the gap on response times.