- The new volunteer fire station will help over 200 homes become within a 5 mile radius of a fire station.
- Thomas County Fire Rescue is looking to bring in 6 to 8 volunteers.
- See where its planned in the video above.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"When someone calls 911, we want to be able to put the best equipment, the best personnel we can in the shortest amount of time into their driveway to make their worst day better," said Chris Jones, Thomas County Fire Chief.
Right now, there are 16 fire stations in Thomas County. Despite this, nearly 1,000 homes in the five-fork area are not within a 5-mile radius to a fire station. That's according to the Thomas County Fire Rescue.
Fire Chief Chris Jones says many South Georgia rural areas emergency services haven't been updated in the last 20 years.
Thomas County Fire Rescue is working to change that in their own backyard. Soon there will be a new volunteer fire station. It will be located at Stephenson and 5 forks road.
Though many worry how will they recruit volunteers in a national first responders' shortage.
"We offer a lot of benefits for our volunteer firefighters. Hopefully out of the 300 houses that will be affected with this station, hopefully those individuals are willing to go back and invest in their community," said Jones.
Jones says he is hoping to hire 6 to 8 volunteers for the new station.
" It's approximately 1800 square feet and will have two vehicles in it is the long-term goal," said Derrick Ogletree, Director of Thomas County Emergency Services.
Director of Thomas County Emergency Services Derrick Ogletree says this project has been in the works for several years. Adding, he can't wait to bring more resources to the people who need it most.
"It's a great feeling to know that you're improving your delivery out to the community where they need it most," said Ogletree.
As for now, Thomas County Commissioners will have a pre-qualification of contractors meeting Friday at 1pm. All parties interested in submitting proposals are encouraged to attend.
