Summers County Commissioners finalized their fiscal year 2021-2022 budget which includes a three percent raise for county employees.
Another item in the budget is money taken in from the county’s fire fees. This money is collected from property owners outside city limits to help fund volunteer fire departments, trained firefighters who work for no pay but put everything else aside or on hold to put out fires.
The fee amounts to $25 per year, due December 31, and that money funds the office of the Summers County Service Fee Collections Clerk and splits the lion’s share of the fees, giving each individual volunteer fire department some financial support for the services they provide.
Collections Clerk Sandy Bragg said the number of funds collected from the fees will provide $16,000 to each volunteer fire station around the county.
While not a huge increase, it amounts to $3,000 more support funds for the volunteer departments. Bragg explained this is not a payment to individual firefighters, who give generously of their time for free but put toward the cost of maintaining a fire department.
VFD’s rely on such funding to cover things like utilities, equipment, protective clothing, and apparel they wear when they fight fires. Bragg said for the extra funds most of the VFD’s must rely on fundraisers and grants. Over $100,000 was collected through the fees the past year.
What do people receive in return? Bragg shared this list of services our volunteer fire departments and firefighters provide, when needed, in Summers County: response to structure fires, forest fires, traffic accidents, emergency medical calls, hazardous materials incidents, search and rescue calls, swift water and water rescue calls, high angle rope rescue calls, natural disaster response, all weather-related emergencies, fire safety programs for preschool and elementary students, CPR classes and more.
For more information about paying fire fees, the fire fee collections clerk said the office is open at the Summers County Courthouse Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
