Video: Firefighters In Oktibbeha County Are Fighting More Than Just Fires

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Oktibbeha County Volunteer Fire Departments are finding the cost for keeping residents safe is going up, but the money to do the job is going down.

The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors is working on the new budget.

At Monday’s meeting, the Oktibbeha County Fire Commission went before the supervisors telling them why they need more money.

Firefighters in Oktibbeha County aren’t only battling blazes, but battling budgets.

Oktibbeha County Fire Services Coordinator Kirk Rosenhan says these are the biggest hurdles.

“Funding because my old comment about fires aren’t put out with water, they’re put out with dollars. Second of all, is person power because there’s some areas in the county that certain times of the day, I simply don’t have anybody and the rating bureau requires a minimum number of people, certainly, and then thirdly, is distance.”

There’s seven volunteer fire departments and fourteen fire stations in Oktibbeha County, covering a 500 square mile radius.

“It’s something we really have to watch because each department has an allotment every year for the number of stations and such and so each of them have their own budgets and then, I have a budget for large capital expenses and certain other expenditures,” says Rosenhan.

The money goes quick and straight towards equipment.

“It can cost anywhere from three-thousand to five-thousand dollars just to equip one firefighter and that’s just your personal equipment. That’s not any tools, or the trucks, or the other specialized equipment,” says Lt. Firefighter Chris Sartin.

Hoses, nozzles, and thermal imagers are just some of the other high dollar gadgets firefighters need to fight fire and keep residents safe.

“We just bought two sets of rescue tools, that’s the normal type of every day thing. The additional funding would upgrade operations and allow us to expand with these boundaries,” says Rosenhan.

The better the tools, the better benefits for residents.

“Which means, lower insurance premiums for the homeowners, so we’re always trying to improve ratings so that we can provide the best service for the public,” says Sartin.

For now, supervisors have tabled the matter.

For more information on becoming a volunteer firefighter  in Oktibbeha County you can visit https://www.eastfirerescue.org/