The Fayette County Commission gave the green light Thursday to the creation of a new volunteer fire department in the county.
Meeting in regular session, commissioners voted 3-0 to approve a proposal and initiate the process of taking the steps necessary to get the 501(c)(3) organization under way and operational.
The fire department will be located on property currently owned by the Fayette County Firefighters Association along U.S. Rte. 60 outside of Gauley Bridge. The site has been utilized as a training center since late 2020. The FCFA will lease the property to the forthcoming Fayette County Volunteer Fire Department/Training Center for $1 per year for a minimum of 99 years and transfer ownership of equipment purchased by the Fayette County fire levy to operate the fire training center to the FCVFD/TC at no cost, according to the proposal.
“The fire department will own everything on the land and the equipment on the land,” said Commissioner Allison Rae Taylor.
Josh Davis, FCFA vice president, who was among those who met with Taylor, attorney Michael Taylor and other fire service representatives Monday to craft the proposal, said he was pleased with Thursday’s outcome.
“It’s a long time coming,” Davis said following the meeting. “This is what we’ve wanted all along, a seat at the table to talk about what we want to do and our plan.
“This is just what we’ve been asking for for two years. It’s starting to come around to benefit the citizens of the county.”
“We finally put our heads together and (worked it out),” Commissioner Taylor said.
Michael Taylor, speaking on behalf of the county commission, stressed that the new volunteer fire department won’t alter the operation of any of the county’s 16 active fire departments. He wanted to make it “crystal clear” that the new department won’t be designed as a replacement or a means to force a current department out of operation. The new department will be “solely supplemental,” he said, with its mission geared toward supporting emergency response efforts throughout the county and operating the firefighter training center.
According to the proposal, the new department — in addition to coordinating the county’s fire prevention efforts — will serve as the headquarters for Fayette County’s special operations teams, such as the swiftwater rescue team, vertical rescue team and HAZMAT decontamination team. The location will also serve as an emergency shelter for county citizens. The new VFD/training center will also coordinate hose testing, ladder testing and other specific tasks.
Commission president John Brenemen praised those who put together the proposal. He thanked “the people from the association (along) with Commissioner Taylor and Michael Taylor” for their attention to the matter. “Thank you guys for the time you put in.”
“It doesn’t make a difference who’s here,” he later added. “It’s using the talent for our people.”
Commissioner Greg Fernett, too, offered his thanks to those who guided the proposal forward. During the meeting, Fernett told county residents there are “very, very intelligent people making good decisions in your behalf.” He said Allison Taylor “went above and beyond” during the process.
“There’s going to be work involved,” Fernett admitted.
“It’s going to take six month to a year to build this thing,” said Allison Taylor.
The steps to be taken are myriad, she noted. They include, not necessarily in order, such tasks as drafting a job description for and choosing a chief for the new VFD, as well as selecting board members separate from members currently serving the FCFA. A fully-equipped fire engine will be required, and it will be transferred to the FCVFD/TC by the next VFD that receives a new one, according to the proposal.
Other areas such as legal and budget paperwork, by-laws, methodology for invoices, insurance, leasing and addressing building plans with the office of the WV Fire Marshal will have to be addressed in the coming months, as well.
For several months, the FCFA has sought approval from the county commission to use levy funds to construct an indoor training center at the site, a request with which various commissioners expressed reservations due to the legalities of committing those funds to a private organization such as the training center.
In the proposal, that is addressed specifically. “The chiefs of the 16 existing Fayette County VFDs also understand and agree $2.1 million of the funds remaining from the July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2024 levy cycle will be allocated to build the FCVFD/TC building and that any remaining funds not allocated at the discretion of the Fayette County Commission will be rolled over to the next levy cycle to offset a reduction in the levy rate for the July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 fiscal year,” the proposal read in part.
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Allison Taylor said that, while the commission and the levy can provide some up-front funds to get the ball rolling, the fire department/training center will eventually have to be sustainable on its own merits, possibly through obtaining outside grants.
According to the proposal, that could be aided by working with the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority to develop a business plan focused on marketing the FCVFD/TC and to “take any and all steps with a goal of bringing it to self-sustainability during the 2025-29 levy cycle.”
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