Volunteer fire departments seek a solution after feeling the impact of coronavirus

LETCHER COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - As the effects of the coronavirus span across many sectors, local volunteer fire departments are no exception.

Many times volunteer fire departments are the ones who would respond to your home if it were to catch on fire.

Shawn Gilley, executive director of Letcher Fire and Rescue, says recently they fire departments like his have struggled financially.

“We’ve seen a decline in the last several years actually of people not been wanting to be very active in the volunteer service,” said Gilley. “Fire services depend on fundraisers. Some of the fire services have bingo and other types of fundraisers and that’s what we depend on for funding.”

The coronavirus has put a halt to those types of events resulting in fire departments finding it difficult to manage the bare necessities.

“We have to keep the lights on. We have to keep fueling those trucks. We have to keep utilities going at all three stations. That’s what that money would be used for,” said Gilley. “If the county or the state doesn’t step in at helping the fire departments I think that you will start seeing fire departments close their doors very soon probably by the end of the year.”

A fire district tax has been talked about as a possible solution.

Gilley says it is not ideal but it would provide fire protection and could prevent people’s insurance rates from going up.

“A tax is not what we would want but there has to be a solution somewhere money has to come from somewhere to fund the first responders.”

We do not have details on what the fire district tax would entail.