Over the past year, a dedicated Chatham County transition team led by County Manager Michael Kaigler, CCPD Chief Jeff Hadley and CCFD Chief James Vickers have been in negotiations with Chatham County Emergency Services (CES) to move fire services under the County government umbrella. Recognizing the evolving needs of our community, the CES Board of Directors has expressed their confidence in Chatham County taking on the responsibility of fire services. This thoughtful decision is aimed at ensuring the best interests of Chatham County residents and enhancing the collaborative efforts between Chatham County and CES to fostering a safer and more resilient community for everyone.

The County contracted with the Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM), affiliated with the International City & County Managers Association (ICMA), to conduct a Fire Sustainability & Feasibility Study. The purpose of the study was to evaluate service delivery for fire services for unincorporated residents and businesses, in order to assist in future policy decision-making.

The new department provides the County Commission local control over operations, levels of service and cost going forward. Based on this updated information, the County Commission voted to begin operating the CCFD July 1, 2024.

If you are a local resident or business currently served by CES, your fire services provider will change to the Chatham County Fire Dept. (CCFD) on July 1, 2024.

For the first year of operations, the annual CCFD budget is $18.5 million, which includes operating costs and funding for two new fire trucks. CCFD costs will be paid for by fire fees and a transfer from the Special Service District (SSD) in the amount of $3.5 million for the equipment.

The Fire Fee is calculated at a rate of 14 cents per square foot of all main and ancillary structures on a parcel. If your total square footage is less than 714 square feet or if you don't have any structures, your bill will be $100. The square footage for each property is calculated using data from the property records maintained by the Chatham County Board of Assessors.

No, residents and businesses will not pay double. CES will no longer provide fire services and will not be invoicing residents and businesses for fire service. Fire fee invoices will be issued by Chatham County.

The current plan calls for a total of 152 staff positions to operate the CCFD. Currently, that includes 27 officer positions, and 89, 24-hour shift positions.

Chatham County is a great place to live, and the County organization is a great place to work. When recruiting begins, we expect that Chatham County’s combination of compensation, benefits, community and quality of life will be very attractive to potential new team members. Chatham County knows how to build and provide excellent public safety services, evidenced by how CCPD sets the benchmark every day. CCFD will start from a position of excellence, in recruiting, financing and operations. The County is excited to share that vision with potential new public safety professionals.

The CCFD will be created with 152 employees and a transfer of all equipment, parts and apparatuses from the prior service provider. CCFD will lease the CES fire stations for a nominal amount. The County will purchase fire vehicles and equipment from CES.

In 2024, Chatham County contracted with the Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM), affiliated with the International City & County Managers Association (ICMA), to conduct a Fire Sustainability & Feasibility Study.  The purpose of the study was to explore and evaluate fire services under the CES umbrella for unincorporated residents and businesses and what the new CCFD would look like in order to assist in future policy decision-making. In addition, the County negotiated associated contracts for fire equipment, associated apparatus, station locations and personnel in the first and second quarter of 2024. The study has not yet been completed.

No. CES has been a positive force in Chatham County for almost 60 years.  They have provided fire rescue and EMS services to its residents and businesses, and the service levels have been excellent. Over those 60 years, Chatham County has grown in population, size and commercial make-up.  When the timing was right, the County Commission wanted to ensure that the residents and businesses of the unincorporated area were offered the highest levels of service at a fiscally-responsible and sustainable rate.  Discussions with CES combined with the findings in the Center for Public Safety Management study led the Commission to ask a number of questions, and to weigh options for service delivery. The study findings are to be released in August 2024. The timing was right to establish a CCFD that can provide the high levels of service our residents and businesses expect, while offering a reasonable amount of local control over financial and operational matters.

The CCFD will provide the same levels of excellent service that residents and businesses in the County have come to rely on, expect and strive to exceed expectations. In doing so, the County’s plan for the CCFD includes the installation of all equipment and necessary apparatus in addition to leasing 14 fire stations throughout the County.

The County has a detailed project and funding plan created jointly with the consultant (CPSM) it hired to do the feasibility study in 2024.  The plan includes the financing, ordering of equipment, the lease transition of fire stations and equipment, and hiring of personnel. In the near-term, the Commission and County management will be considering approval of items related to the purchase of needed equipment based on data compiled from the Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM). In addition to hiring a consultant, the Collaborative Firm (TCF) to manage the implementation and transition process.

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