In rural areas across Mississippi, volunteer firefighters are a true lifeline. They step forward and step up to make sure that there is a timely emergency response in the event of an accident, a medical emergency or a fire. They are also often the first people to respond to a scene when seconds are valuable commodities in saving the lives of citizens.
In Winston County, there are eight volunteer fire departments, and they are often required to work in conjunction when circumstances demand. Just in the summer of 2024 alone, emergency personnel across the county worked together to search for two missing individuals. They are called out for wrecks – even those that are not in the VFD’s nearby location, and the Louisville (city) Fire Department often assists by bringing out The Jaws of Life when needed.
Jody Garrard, the county’s fire administrator, says that many of the VFDs have to call on other volunteers in the county, if a situation demands it. For example, if a fire takes place during the day in the East Winston VFD area, dispatch may have to call on the Nanih Waiya VFD to ensure there are enough emergency personnel present to work the event.
Many volunteers work a full-time job in addition to their volunteer duties, which would mean that the volunteers in Winston County not only volunteer in their own communities, but for the entire county, when needed.
Winston County’s VFDs include Betheden, East Winston, Highpoint, Lobutcha, Mars Hill, Louisville County, Mars Hill, Nanih Waiya, Noxapater, and Shiloh. The City of Louisville will assist with calls so many miles outside the city limits or if the accident is severe (needing assistance to get victims out of a vehicle, for instance).
During the month of August alone, Winston County’s VFDs attended 45 grass/woods fire events. That doesn’t include calls to wrecks, assisting in searches (Winston VFDs assisted in both the searches this summer), and responding to medical emergencies.
Winston County is in need of more to volunteer as the county grows. District 2 Supervisor Luke Parkes noted how important the volunteers were in locating the missing child in his district during the last week of August. He also noted the monies allotted to the county’s volunteer departments as well as the stewardship of the county fire administrator in making sure that volunteer departments have what they need.
Parkes noted that, for the first time in many years, approximately $110,000 is allocated for the Fire Association. The bulk of this funding will go to purchase trucks, water tankers, and the like. Parkes also noted that the Fire Administrator had done a great job of conserving money in order to be able to not only pay insurance, workman’s compensation, and other necessities, but also to have money to purchase new equipment. While the volunteers are quite appreciative of allocations from the county, they often fundraise in order to make improvements to their local headquarters, buy suits or other equipment, or the like. The public should also note that these volunteers attend training in order to become a member of the fire department. They must complete the same training as a professional and are proud of their certifications.
Furthermore, many VFDs in Winston County also give back to the community in planning fundraisers. It is not uncommon for our VFDs to host a benefit for someone in their community battling cancer or other illnesses. This need to give back to the community is part of what makes our emergency volunteers so special.
While Winston’s faithful emergency volunteers are more than happy to fill in the gap for other departments, the county would benefit from more departments or even substations between established VFDs.
