Worth County Fire Rescue began another historical chapter in the department’s legacy last Wednesday at noon when a second substation opened in the City of Warwick. Following weeks of debate between Warwick citizens and the Worth County Board of Commissioners, the county will now provide a station in Worth’s northern district with two paid firefighters on duty 24 hours per day, and an engine capable of responding to any emergency in close proximity.
In addition to the three WCFR captains, Commissioners Bettye Bozeman and Joe Gaines attended the new station’s opening with Warwick resident Tom Hunt and WCFR firefighters Jimmy Nelms and Daniel Calhoun. While Station 14 was originally scheduled to open on Monday in Warwick, the initiative seemed to have stalled as the respective governments from the City of Warwick and Worth County could not reach an agreement concerning funding for the department. Originally, the county asked the city to fund the salaries to staff the department at roughly $55,000 per year.
However, a pair of incidents occurred Saturday and Monday night the sped action on the opening. A man suffered a major heart attack and ultimately died over the weekend, and a mobile home, just six miles from the station was completely destroyed by fire last Monday just before midnight. Volunteers from Doles and staff from headquarters in Sylvester both arrived approximately 19 minutes after the call was received. The home was a total loss, and the tenant received minor burns, though she refused medical attention. Proponents of the manned station in Warwick argue that these tragedies might have been avoided if the fire department was functional at the time.
According to District 3 Commissioner Bettye Bozeman,
“We have had two instances up here since Friday. We had a house that burned on Monday night. Then, last Saturday afternoon, an ambulance had to take a guy to Albany, and we had a guy who fell with a heart attack. If we could have had some paramedics on this truck, they could have got to the gentleman. I’m not saying they could’ve saved his life, but I’m telling you it would make everybody feel better.”
WCFR Captain Tom Whittington says the station will be staffed with a seasoned firefighter who is familiar with the area and a part timer. The shifts will rotate so that none of the firefighters are driving to Warwick on a regular basis. The captain also says,
“This is tremendous. People have no clue of how important this is, once these guys get up here and this truck goes 10-8 today. The call [Saturday] proves it. It was 19 minutes… From here, they could’ve been there in five minutes.”
The District 3 Commissioner says this second substation, after Sumner, is another step towards providing fire protection and lowering the ISO ratings for all of Worth’s residents. According to Bozeman, the next station should be manned in Bridgeboro or Scooterville at the southern end of the county. The Bridgeboro station was recently outfitted with a former FEMA trailer for bunk rooms and living quarters.
Still, Mrs. Bozeman says the county has yet to reach an agreement with the City of Warwick. At this point, the department remains completely funded by the county. Although, Warwick residents are gathering funds to provide $30,000 worth of equipment for the fledgling station. Warwick resident Tom Hunt has organized a campaign to raise funds for the Warwick department, and he says the effort is well on its way to reach the initial $30,000 goal.
“We want to help this station be successful,” Hunt says, “and we want to help provide anything that they may need.”
Anyone who wishes to donate to the “Friends of North WCFD” fund may contact Mr. Hunt or mail donations to P.O. Box 130 Warwick, GA 31796.