Burningtown-Iotla Fire and Rescue (BIFR) says it has improved recruitment and training and will comply with state standards ahead of the July 31 deadline set by the county commissioners.
Chief Kenneth McCaskill presented an update on the fire department at the Macon County Board of Commissioners meeting on July 8. BIFR was placed on probation by the county in July 2024 after an inspection revealed the department had fallen below the state-required 19 members with 36 hours of training. Commissioners put the department under increased scrutiny after multiple instances of difficulty operating equipment and nonresponses were reported.
During the period of the department’s probation, Cowee Fire & Rescue was assigned to respond to BIFR’s calls to ensure a satisfactory response.
After a pair of tense public meetings with officials representing the department, the board of commissioners gave BIFR until July 31 to resolve the recruitment and training problems, as well as to develop a method of compensating the Cowee fire department for responding to BIFR calls.
McCaskill reported the department had increased its membership to 24 adult members and four junior firefighters, with 20 members meeting or soon-to-meet the threshold of 36 training hours, putting the department in compliance with the state. He said additional applications are trickling in. McCaskill added that one of the junior firefighters would soon be turning 18 in August, joining the ranks of the adult members.
“Everything was accomplished that we set out to do,” McCaskill said. “We have, currently on our roster, 28 members. Some of them are new and are working on this 36-hour requirement. At this time we have 16 of those that will count with their 36 hours, and by the end of July we have at least five that are getting close. We should have, by July 31, our required 19 plus a few extras.”
This improvement was made possible through coordinated efforts from BIFR members to add new recruits and to reach the required number of training hours, McCaskill said. Members have reached out to “community-minded” locals and community members who have showed an interest in volunteer firefighting. Some ex-members who had drifted away from the department were re-recruited, and some members jumped on the phone and went door to door.
These efforts were united under the same message: “If we want to keep our independence, we need new members,” McCaskill said.
For training, younger members have put in a lot of work to finish up online training hours, and older members have helped to offer training. If all goes according to plan, 23-24 members will be fully trained in August, McCaskill said.
He said the board would be meeting soon to discuss how BIFR leadership will seek to retain these new recruits as a healthy pool over time. The Board of County Commissioners intends to meet with BIFR at the beginning of August to receive another progress report, consider ending the department’s probation period, and removing the responsibility of Cowee fire department to respond to BIFR’s calls.