The Summers County Fire Board met at the Memorial Building on Monday, Dec. 20. In light of allegations against several local firefighters this year, the primary topics of discussion were ethics and accountability as well as financial records. Representatives of each fire department were present along with County Commissioner Mike Gore, Johnny Ratliff and Sandy Bragg from the Fire Fee Collections Office.
After the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting, the floor was opened to old business. The topic of ethics and accountability was brought to the table. One board member commented, “We become role models when we step into this position.” After a brief discussion, the board moved on to new business.
Financial records took precedence as the topic of new business. Fire Department’s must keep records of all purchases and expenditures. This includes all funds whether it be from State allocated funds, Fire Fee funds or money from fundraisers. Sandy Bragg brought up the idea of submitting a copy of all receipts for purchases made with Fire Fee funds to her office so that there would be an extra record should anything happen to the original. Commissioner Gore noted, “The citizens expect accountability.” He also stated, “We aren’t asking you for anything you don’t have to keep anyway.”
Pipestem Fire Department Chief Butch Mansfield recommended a file form that his department uses to keep track of purchases. The form not only lists the purchase, the amount, and the item(s) acquired, it also lists the reason behind the purchase. In addition, Bragg provided a sample Excel sheet that can be used to annotate all purchases. Jumping Branch/Nimitz Fire Chief Michael Wright stated that his department already uses something similar, but they would be happy to use the form suggested.
After a reminder that Fire Fee records are due in Bragg’s office no later than March, the meeting was adjourned. The next meeting will take place in March 2022.
