Contract dispute causing issues for volunteer fire departments in Navarro County

NAVARRO COUNTY, Texas - It’s hard to imagine a fire department getting a call and not responding, but that’s what some volunteer fire departments in Navarro County are afraid of amid an ongoing contract dispute. 

"There was a liability that was made present with the old contract that’s been in effect for 15 years," Navarro County Volunteer Firefighter Association President Dylan Tidwell said.

Tidwell said they presented the commissioners with talks around March, and that the old contract lapsed September 30. 

"First week of October, they sent it to their lawyer, which we were out of contract. For two months, we hadn’t heard anything. They presented a contract way out. It killed 90% of the fire departments," he explained.

Tidwell said they’ve been kept in the dark. 

It’s been about two months since the 15-year-old contract between the county’s 23 volunteer fire departments and the county lapsed.

"We got one, we sent a change back Saturday after Thanksgiving, and that would have been technically the number two," Tidwell said.

It’s left Angus Fire Department without the $800 they receive monthly. Most Navarro County fire departments receive $600 a month.

"It’s $200 per truck," Tidwell said.

Treasurer of the association, Kim Newsom, said the money works in multiple ways to help keep the departments functional.  

"It makes it difficult to put fuel in your trucks, to maintenance trucks. For instance, right now, we have a truck that’s having an engine replaced, and it’s over $15,000 for that," Newsom said. 

Navarro County volunteer fire departments are afraid the expiration of the contract could lengthen into January and February. 

On November 27, the Navarro County Commissioner’s Court voted on the contract, pending legal modification.

In a letter given to commissioners on November 20, the association said, "we all understand the liability and we feel that there’s too much of a liability for us to respond to calls without a contract. We are trying to protect ourselves from a potential lawsuit as well."

On Facebook, Commissioner Jason Grant said he met with all the volunteer fire departments in Precinct 1 and he looks forward to a "speedy solution." 

Retreat Fire Chief Ron Bennett said people living in rural Navarro County aren’t getting the protection they need.  

"I’m very surprised that they’ll do this to their citizens of this county. This should have been handled way before our contract came up," Bennett said.