MAURY COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — When fires break out in rural areas, response times can be critical — but volunteer fire departments often face challenges getting to emergencies quickly enough.
A recent tractor fire in Maury County's Hampshire area highlighted these ongoing struggles when the closest volunteer fire station, less than a mile away, couldn't respond due to lack of available volunteers.
"The closest fire station that was less than a mile away, there was just not a volunteer available to respond," said Richard Schatz, Maury County's deputy fire chief.
While volunteers were unavailable, the tractor fire continued to spread. Residents tried to contain it themselves using garden hoses until Maury County firefighters from the main station arrived about 20 minutes later.
The county has taken steps to address response issues by hiring full-time firefighters to cover a couple of paid positions per shift. However, even with full-time staff, response times can still be lengthy in rural areas.
"Even with the full-time staff, sometimes it is 35 minutes even with an immediate response from them," Schatz said.
Volunteer fire departments originally started to support local areas but now cover most of the county. At the same time, many volunteers now work farther from their homes, making quick response more difficult.
"Years ago it was more common for everyone to work locally so they could drop what they were doing and respond," Schatz said.
Schatz said volunteer coverage can be sporadic and that there are sometimes gaps in response capabilities, but emphasized that volunteers show up as soon as they can.
Of Maury County's 170 volunteer firefighters, about 60 are considered active. The department hopes to introduce 20 newly trained members this fall.
Training and equipping each volunteer costs approximately $10,000, according to Schatz.
Have you experienced delays in emergency response in your rural community? Share your story and help us investigate how volunteer fire departments can better serve Tennessee communities. Contact Kim Rafferty at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com to discuss your experiences with rural emergency services.
This story was reported on-air by Kim Rafferty and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Kim and our editorial team verify all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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