REALITIES OF VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE

On Monday at 1:44PM units were dispatched to the Hampshire First Baptist Church for a tractor on fire. The following units responded: Engines 21 & 22, Tanker 21, Squad 21, Deputy 20.

The first engine arrived 20 minutes after dispatch which responded from Station 22 located in the Cherry Glenn Business Park with units from headquarters (Tom J Hitch) arriving closely behind.

By this time the fire had spread from the tractor to the baler, completely consuming both. Bystanders had stretched garden hoses from the church to keep the fire from spreading farther. Understandably, there were some very frustrated farmers on scene that wanted answers as to why the closest fire engine did not respond.

The closest engine, Engine 25, which is located less than a mile away failed to respond. The volunteers with Station 25 were at work or other obligations and were not available to respond the apparatus.

Our community is not immune to the national trend in the decline of volunteerism and available hours to dedicate to emergency response. Employment dynamics have changed and people travel farther away from their homes to work. Call volumes have increased greatly in the last five years as well, and we must grow with the community to meet the expectations of our citizens. Our department will respond to over 2000 calls this year.

Our county commission and mayors office have been very supportive of our organization and we would be remiss to not mention the strides we have made under their current tenure, but we are still struggling to meet the every day demands for emergency response. We look forward to continuing to advocate for appropriate staffing across the county to meet the increased demands for service.

OUR STAFFING: We have 6 full time personnel (Since October 2024) with two working per shift at our headquarters located at 1257 Mapleash Avenue. 175 volunteers (Approx 60 volunteers deemed very active) and 13 fire stations across Maury County.

OUR SERVICE AREA: We cover 560 square miles of Maury County’s total 612. The cities of Columbia, Mount Pleasant, and Spring Hill cover the other 52 square miles. Communities we cover: Culleoka, Mynders, Enterprise, Sandy Hook, parts of Summertown in Maury County, Hampshire, Zion, Williamsport, Santa Fe, Bethel, Theta, Carters Creek, Oak Lake, Pottsville, and Fountain Heights. We cover I-65 from the Marshall County line to the Spring Hill City limits (with the exception of the Mile Marker 46 covered by the City of Columbia) as well as over 60 miles of the Duck River. Our department responds to all types of fires including structures, vehicle, wildland, etc, as well as motor vehicle accidents, high angle rescues, water rescues, and high priority medical calls to supplement Maury Regional EMS.

Citizens are allowed to speak at county meetings and we report to the safety committee monthly on the first Tuesday of the first full week of each month at 4:30PM.

We are proud to serve Maury County and appreciate your support.

#TeamMaury