LAWRENCE COUNTY — The Lawrence County Board of Supervisors has approved a significant increase in funding for fire protection that will allow the county to begin providing a paid, countywide firefighter response.
The additional funding, requested by the Lawrence County Fire Board, comes at no additional cost to taxpayers, according to the Lawrence County Fire Department.
The funding will allow the county to add a career firefighter position who will respond to fire calls throughout Lawrence County. The position is expected to be filled during the 2027 fiscal year as the hiring process gets underway.
The countywide career firefighter response has been a goal of the Lawrence County Fire Board since the department was founded in 2012. The new position will provide an on-duty firefighter who can respond immediately to fire calls and support the county’s volunteer firefighters.
The funding increase also will pay for fire protection improvements expected to lower insurance ratings in most of the county’s fire grading districts.
Lower fire protection ratings can translate into lower homeowners and business insurance premiums, according to the Lawrence County Fire Department.
“This is a milestone the Fire Board has worked toward since LCFD’s founding in 2012,” said Marcus Killingsworth, president of the Lawrence County Fire Board. “A countywide career firefighter response has been a long-time goal of this department, and because of the confidence and support of the Board of Supervisors, it is now a reality. Every family and business in Lawrence County will be safer for it.”
The Fire Board thanked Supervisors Delane Ervin, Mikell Sandifer, Glen Ard, Kenny Ray Magee and Stanley Stephens for supporting the funding request and the county’s fire and emergency services.
