WARNING - This Could Become The Norm And Not The Exception - Abernant Fire Department will cease emergency operations at the end of the mon

Chief Brian Scott said Tuesday that there isn’t enough financial support or qualified firefighters to serve that area of eastern Tuscaloosa County.

"We just can’t do it," he said. "We were hoping that there would be a turnaround but the support is just not there."

He said that there are around 7,500 residences in the 51-square-mile area the department covers. Residents were asked to pay $50 per structure annually. People with vacant lots were asked to pay $7.50 each year.

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Rickey Stokes News Article

I have told the Houston County Commission when they started wasting the $ 12,000.00 for advertising for the new Dothan - Houston County Emergency Management Director, EMS and FIRE would be the greatest challenge for EMA over the next 60 months or less.

We are fortunate in Houston and surrounding counties. We have a great volunteer system here.

However, people like the Nall’s from Cowarts, the Posey’s from Ashford, Baxter Etheridge from Wicksburg, Danny from Wicksburg and many others, the volunteers are not coming out like they once did.

When I started in 1977, Jimmy Posey and his family, Roger Nall and his family, Baxter and Danny, were involved in the EMS and Fire in Houston County. And today they still are. However, Roger and I talked the other night and he is 64 years old.

A recent daytime active structure fire, Roger and Jimmy were the two fireman on the scene. Matt Boster arrived for RSN and put on his fire gear and jumped in helping them.

The business community will not let people off like they once did to help volunteer. In fact, Dothan City Manager Mike West stopped Wayne McKinnon from getting off with Houston County Rescue Unit, and they are a water search and rescue unit. They do not have many calls. Dothan City Managers in the past let McKinnon off to respond but Mike West, who makes over $ 160,000.00 per year, stopped that practice. SHAME - SHAME -SHAME ON MIKE WEST FOR THAT!!!

While we have great volunteers, Pilcher’s Ambulance DAILY is having to back up volunteer ambulance services across Houston County because they can not get volunteer crews at times. It is no fault of their own, they can only do so much.

June 8

COLUMBIA:   At 10:50 AM Pilcher’s Ambulance had a medical emergency in Columbia.

COWARTS:    At about 12:30 PM today Pilcher’s Ambulance has a medical emergency in Columbia.

June 7

HODGESVILLE:   Medical emergency on Hodgesville Road

HODGESVILLE:   Structure Fire

FARLEY NUCLEAR PLANT:   Medical Emergency during the wind storm

WEBB:     Medical emergency on Benton Store Road east of Webb

HODGESVILLE:   Assault on Third Avenue outside the city limits of Dothan

HEADLAND RESCUE responded to Watson Bridge Road on June 10

HEADLAND RESCUE:   responded to Kinsey medical emergency

HEADLAND RESCUE:   responded to medical emergency in Kinsey on June 5

PILCHER’S:    Medical Emergency in Taylor June 6

PILCHER’S:    Medical emergency in Lovetown

These are not in any way all of the calls. Just some of them.  And understand, if you go to the beach you have to travel outside the city limits to get there. And when does a medical emergency or accident make an appointment to happen and an appointment for the location for it to happen?

CONCLUSION

I respect the volunteers. I am one of you. The powers to be think I am only a dumb old bondsman with no brains. However, the time required for volunteers and demands is causing and will continue to cause issues for response. Daytime response is already an issue.

To resolve this, people are going to have to get out of the box, be creative, design a system that is hand in hand with volunteers and paid, and make things work.

I am afraid with some of the attitudes exhibited to me by members of the Houston County Commission, we the people of Houston County are in a dangerous and potentially death situation. SOME, not all of the county commissioners think they know so much to know so little. And they will have blood on their hands!!!

Mr. McClain - I am spreading truth and not hate sir!