Volunteer firefighters in Bleckley County are a little more than two weeks away from the city of Cochran discontinuing their fire services in the the county.
They held a special meeting Tuesday night to discuss what will happen next *and* how county firefighters feel about the change.
Consultant Harold Starling told the group, "We want to help the community and it's evident because you wouldn't be here unless you wanted to help the community."
A roomful of Bleckley County firefighters was all wondering the same thing: What happens when the city and county fire services split on July 15.
Starling says it's not about the politics...it's about the people.
"The county residents, they appreciate the city residents. And the city residents they appreciate the county residents. So why is all this happening? I mean I think there's deeper issues going on here that need to be explored. Way beyond uhh just fire services."
Mitchell Cobb has been a volunteer firefighter for 34 years. He says he understands their will be change but he says time is not on their side.
He said, "I understand that change comes with time and uhh there's always a possibility. But the problem is it's just been such an abrupt change and such a challenge between both municipalities."
Starling says at their next meeting they will have everyone sign up and order their uniforms.But they say they still need a lot of equipment.
He said, "What equipment is it gonna take for them to get up and running? The problem is apparently the city's saying some of the equipment is theirs and they're gonna take it away."
But firefighters say they can't take away their desire to help people when in need, no matter if they're in the city or county.
The volunteer firefighters' group plans to hold these meetings every Tuesday until the city of Cochran pulls their fire services on July 15.