By ROBIN FITZGERALD
Biloxi Sun Herald
It took pulling resources from four volunteer fire stations last week to come up with eight firefighters to respond to a mobile home fire in Saucier.
“That tells you how bad off we are since the hurricane,” said George Mixon, Harrison County Fire Services coordinator. “We’re probably operating with about 60 to 70 percent of the personnel we had before.”
As county fire marshal, Mixon is faced with the same 15 percent budget cut as the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, an issue raising concerns about maintaining public safety in unincorporated areas now that tax revenues have swirled down the storm drain since Hurricane Katrina.
“We’ll still be able to maintain a high level of protection,” said Mixon, “but we may be slow.
“We’ve been trying to build new fire stations and improve fire protection over the past three years, but we’re going to have to cut back on building and capital outlay. Maybe we can apply for a federal Fire Act grant to help us.”
Sheriff George H. Payne Jr. said he is “considering all options, but I want to reassure the public that I’m not going to let public safety suffer. We’re doing our job and are going to continue doing it.”
However, crime in Harrison County is up in every category since Hurricane Katrina, said Payne, who will have to trim his budget by $2 million or come up with other sources of revenue.
The Sheriff’s Department has about 350 employees, including sworn officers and support personnel. Payne would not comment on whether a layoff is likely.
Personnel has become a critical issue for county fire protection. The only paid employees are Mixon and a fire chief for each of the 10 volunteer fire stations. The budget cut means $246,000 less in operating expenses and lease money for a firetruck.
Mixon doesn’t anticipate having to close any fire stations.
The county lost its Henderson Point and DeLisle fire stations in the hurricane. The Army Corps of Engineers has provided a doublewide mobile home for operations in DeLisle.
“We had 130 volunteers, but losing Henderson Point, that’s 18 volunteers gone and eight others have turned in their gear and left the area,” Mixon said. “There’s others who just don’t have time for it now. They’re dealing with lost or damaged homes and still have to work at their regular job.”
Volunteer firefighters from Baltimore County, Md., and Tulsa, Okla., have provided help “to cover some of the stations at night so our full-time people can get some rest,” Mixon said.