Marion blocks Hodges’ VFRD coverage

Although Hodges Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department lies squarely in Franklin County, the department has provided coverage and service for a portion of Marion County, right over the county line, since the early 1970s. Now, unless some agreement can be reached, that coverage will end after 46 years – and according to Chief Lesley Cantrell, the department as well as the households in that coverage area will suffer.

A letter from Span Law Firm in Hamilton, sent on behalf of the Marion County Volunteer Firefighters Association indicates that “The area of Marion County that Hodges Fire Department has considered part of their call area is now within the call areas of Shiloh Fire Department and Hackleburg Fire Department” and stipulates that Hodges will no longer provide coverage.

The issue, Cantrell said, is a new bill in Marion that allocates a three mill property tax to the volunteer departments in the county through the fire association – that is, to those departments with a physical presence in the county.

“When they wrote their bill, they left us and Haleyville out of it,” Cantrell said. “Only fire departments that have a physical department in Marion County will get any of the money.”

With an eye toward that restriction, Hodges began plans to build a substation in Marion County, both to satisfy the requirements and to improve their coverage. But Cantrell said she was informed the substation would not be satisfactory. “They didn’t want us to build a substation. They wanted us to build a whole new station there and be separate from our existing fire department.”

According to Marion County Fire Association President Jeff Williams, nothing has been finalized yet.

“It’s nothing that has been decided definitely in stone yet, and we’re really not prepared to make a statement at this time,” Williams said. “So far their proposals haven’t met the obligations of the tax code” – namely building a new department with a new identity.

“I think by going to the paper, they aren’t getting something that started that really doesn’t need to be,” Williams added. “Their facts and our facts aren’t lining up.”

Building a new station would start that station’s ISO rating back at the bottom – at a 9 – rather than the department’s current rating of 5, and this is something Cantrell said is a crucial sticking point. “That wouldn’t be fair to the people we’ve been serving because their insurance would go back up,” said Cantrell. It’s an impact he himself would feel, as a resident of Marion County in what has been Hodges’ coverage area.

That area, Cantrell said, is about 265 households in Marion County, plus 30 chicken houses, four big churches and Yellow Creek Youth Camp. “We’ve been taking care of them many years,” he said.

A meeting is set for Thursday with Williams and others to “try to work out something,” Cantrell said.

“It just isn’t right to the people,” he reiterated. And he also feels it isn’t right to Hodges. “We’ve served and helped them every time they have had a house fire, grass fire and when the tornado came through Shottsville,” he said. And when the tornado ripped through Hackleburg, “we were right there for three days cutting and looking for people and helping.”

“They wrote us out when they shouldn’t have. It’s like we’re not important.”

Cantrell said Hodges’ portion of the property tax funds, if they department was to be included, would be between $63-72K, which would help pay for the new substation as well as equipment and trucks. “It could really be used to help the Marion County side especially.”

Williams said Cantrell’s estimate of how many households Hodges covers in Franklin County is inflated, and the area can easily be served by the existing Marion county departments – meaning a Hodges station probably isn’t even necessary, even if the department was willing to build an entirely new station.

“They’re wanting to come over here and get a big chunk of money. That’s what it amounts to,” he said. “That’s taking money away from every department in Marion County. We’re not being greedy, but what it comes down to is, is that department necessary?”

Williams said while he feels Cantrell’s pain, that doesn’t necessitate the new Marion station. “I’d like to have a fire station in my backdoor also, but that doesn’t mean it’s needed,” he said.

Cantrell said his department is seeking an Attorney General’s opinion on the matter, as well as seeking counsel from Franklin County attorney Roger Bedford.

“I hope it works out and everything will be all right, but we’ll just have to wait and see,” Cantrell said. “We’re not trying to force anything on anybody. Whatever we do, we want to make sure it is legal.”