Sparta increasing its recruiting efforts to try to address the need for more volunteer firefighters.
City Administrator Tonya Tindle said currently, the city only has 10 active volunteer firefighters to help man three fire stations. Tindle said the city has a limited budget and cannot afford to hire more full-time firefighters.
“Volunteer firefighters provide critical fire and emergency services at a fraction of the cost,” Tindle said. “And so it makes the city of Sparta and towns like our size able to maintain a certain level of fire protection without actually raising taxes.”
Tindle said the city is taking a proactive stance in recruiting volunteer firefighters by renaming the volunteers as reserve firefighters. Tindle said the city hopes the name change gives people the impression that it is more than just a volunteer position.
“We want them to know that we are gonna back them and that the city recognizes them and that we are gonna provide them with the uniforms, and we are gonna provide them with the tools that they need, and that they are gonna have a voice in our fire department,” Tindle said. “Not just somebody that’s gonna come in randomly every once in a while, fight a fire. We hope that this promotes to them that we know they are there, we know they are vital, and that we appreciate them and are willing to do everything we can to help them.”
Tindle said the city is hoping a small incentive pay can attract more recruits.
“We do pay based on a point system, and I know a lot of other volunteer firefighters out in the county and stuff like that, and the other fire stations are not equipped to be able to do something. It’s not just in their budget either, so we are hoping that would entice, for a better word, people to be able to want and give their time. It’s not a lot, but it’s something.”
Tindle said the city allows city employees to go through the process to volunteer and help respond to fires even during the workday. Tindle said even if someone can only help out a couple of hours a day, the city would still accept them.
“If we had firefighters that we knew would show up between 5pm-10pm that are volunteers, they absolutely would be useful, they would be needed, and they would be accepted,” Tindle said. “If they have a small kid, they have family they can’t leave at home, and they can’t come through then you know, midnight to say four or five in the morning, that’s totally understandable, and that gap would hopefully be filled by other volunteer firefighters.”
Tindle said since ramping up recruiting efforts, the city has added two additional volunteer firefighters. Tindle also said the city is close to hiring a fire chief, and the city is hopeful to announce a new hire at the next aldermen meeting.
