TAZEWELL COUNTY, Va. — Facing staffing shortages and inconsistent operations from station to station, 11 volunteer fire departments in Tazewell County merged into one organization on Oct. 15.
Under the new structure of the Tazewell County Volunteer Fire Company, three part-time fire chiefs will oversee three battalions, coordinating recruitment, equipment maintenance and training countywide, Cardinal News reported. County Director of Public Safety Barry Brooks led the planning.
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Each part-time chief will oversee three to four stations in their battalion and respond to calls, helping coordinate larger responses. The three chiefs will also split specialized duties: one overseeing training, one focused on equipment maintenance and one leading recruitment and retention.
The board of supervisors approved a 4.7% tax on prepared food and drinks in 2025 to pay for the county’s firefighting efforts. The meals tax generates about $750,000 a year, which goes to the new company.
The county also plans to open applications for a paid, part-time department that will run a three-person, 24/7 engine starting in the spring. Other counties have used part-time staffing to build a more sustainable model, though officials caution it cannot fully replace the volunteer system in sprawling, rural areas.
Brooks has spent the past decade preparing departments across the county for the merger, following a “playbook” he was given when he was hired. A 2012 study by state officials laid out recommendations for the county’s first responder system, beginning with Brooks’ hiring and continuing through organizational development, communications, personnel, training and budgeting.
The state study recommended the fire departments operate under a centralized authority, citing a lack of uniformity and coordination across communities. A centralized company allows Brooks to right-size each department and ensure it has the equipment it needs. The merger also offers technical advantages, such as the ability to apply for grants as a single unit, since funding opportunities often increase with a higher volume of logged calls.
Fire departments could opt into the new county department, with county funding tied to participation. Individual volunteers could join or remain on a “legacy” side that fundraises but cannot respond to calls.
All 11 stations joined, bringing in 170 volunteers. Brooks noted that preserving autonomy was important, even allowing each department to keep its name, though all stations are now also numbered one through 11.
“I think the biggest problem was the unknown. They were worried, ‘How am I going to factor into this?’” Brooks said. “They all had questions, but I think we were able to design this in a manner where not a lot was changing except the organizational chart.”
As consolidations and regionalizations become a more common answer to volunteer shortages nationwide, does consolidating departments strengthen the system, or does it risk losing the local identity and autonomy that keeps volunteers engaged? Has your area gone through something similar?
