Donations for Ellerslie Volunteer Fire Department at an all-time low
ELLERSLIE, Ga. (WRBL) — In Harris County, first responders are now looking to the community for support. One volunteer fire department took to social media asking for donations.
Firefighter services in Harris County are all volunteer based; meaning, funding is largely dependent on donations.
Over the last several years, Harris County Commissioners have increased stipends for volunteer fire departments, but it’s not enough to fully fund the stations.
Chief Skip Wyatt of Ellerslie’s Volunteer Fire Department says out of the nearly 2,700 homes in Ellerslie, parts of Upatoi, Midland, and Waverly Hall, only 33% have made annual donations or dues.
“That stipend will go towards, when we normally use it, it goes to our power bill and as much fuel as we can for our trucks and what equipment we can get, we can,” Chief Wyatt said. “But equipment is so expensive that we rely on, what in the past, they say in dues.”
Chief Wyatt went on to say 33% is the lowest number of donators he has seen in his last 15 years as chief. Plus, the station is responsible for purchasing all additional equipment the county stipends do not cover.
“We have to buy all of our medical supplies… AEDs, I got five of them, we had to buy every one of them. Oxygen, just everything we have to purchase it. All the gear and radios, that stuff is extremely expensive,” Chief Wyatt explained. “Every time somebody new walks in and you’ve got to give them a radio, so they’ll know what’s going on, that’s $1,200 dollars. You got to have gear before you can do the first thing. So, you can’t even go through class without gear. So, you’re automatically you’re spending $3,000 unless you find some used gear you can put them in temporarily so somebody to walk in, it’s $4,000.”
Without the gear or equipment required to respond to emergencies, ISO ratings for the fire department have the potential to go up causing insurance ratings to increase as well.
To combat this, and any shortage of funds, Chief Wyatt asks residents to voluntarily make a $50 annual donation, also known as dues.
“If you break that down, that’s two cents a day. So, you’re paying $50 a year, that’s two cents a day and you get every fire truck I got, and everybody that I got available. Anything that I need, we will be there at no charge to you,” Chief Wyatt said. “In turn, we just ask for that $50 for each household so that we got the fuel. When you call to come. When your kid is sick, choking, you’re choking. Heart attack, stroke, whatever. We’ll have the stuff we need.”
For more information on how to donate, click here.
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