Cullasaja Gorge Fire & Rescue took a big hit to their roster after 14 members resigned simultaneously last week.
The incident occurred on Thursday, July 1 during a closed meeting. Tensions are high in the Cullasaja community right now because of disagreements over whether residents from outside the district should be allowed to serve as firefighters, as well as whether they should get to vote on the matter. Shortly before a vote about firefighter eligibility, 14 firefighters handed in their gear.
“About half way through the meeting, 14 members walked in with their gear and resigned,” reads a release from the department issued on Saturday. “Approximately an hour later, after much discussion, the decision was made by majority vote that changed current guidelines that require someone to live in the Cullasaja Fire District to be a firefighter.”
The meeting itself was closed to anyone not residing in the Cullasaja district, which meant several volunteer firefighters wouldn’t get a say. Volunteer Jo Zachary says that the resignations were a preemptive move by firefighters who don’t want to leave their positions. She says that they’ve worked very hard to be able to protect the community and that it’s unfair for them to be disenfranchised because of their home addresses.
“We did not quit,” Zachary said. “We were told to leave because of our residence after many years.”
On Tuesday morning, the department was scheduled for a county inspection. Emergency Services Director Warren Cabe said it will be the department’s responsibility to maintain adequate staffing for emergency response. They are required to have at least 15 firefighters on the roster, and if they can’t meet that minimum, state law will set consequences for them.
“We have an inspection scheduled for today and if they don’t have enough members on their roster, they’ll be put on probation,” Cabe said on Tuesday morning.
Staffing should not be an issue at the moment. While the department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, their public release suggested that they have more than enough firefighters to cover operations for now.
“We wanted the community to know that we currently have 33 members on our roster and are in the process of hiring a full-time employee,” reads the Saturday release. “Residents of the community can be assured that for any emergency, we will be there.”
For more information, call Cullasaja Gorge Fire & Rescue at 828-369-5010.