Tennessee Group Studies Fire Protection in Unincorporated Areas

Fire protection in Knox County’s unincorporated areas is the focus of a study group expected to convene for the first time this month.

“That committee will get together and begin what will probably be a year-long look at what can be done in the line of fire protection for the citizens of Knox County that don’t have a municipal fire department,” Knox County Commission Vice Chairman Dave Wright told the News Sentinel.

He said the date has not been set yet, but he would like to hold it before County Commission’s Jan. 19 work session.

Commission’s creativity solving fire protection problems is evident in its recent approval of a tax incentive to help a developer build a fire hall in Southwest Knox County. The payment in lieu of taxes saves the developer about $6,000 to $7,000 for the development off Choto Road, which will allow Rural/Metro to have a firehouse on Choto Road.

While Knox County has not made a regular practice of such PILOT deals, community involvement in fire protection is common, according to officials.

“There are a multitude of outcomes,” Wright said.

Jerry Harnish is the regional director of Rural/Metro, which contracts to cover the unincorporated areas of Knox County. He said the conversation is a regular review of fire protection options. Anything could come of the talks.

“The entire development district had a very extensive project done in 1975,” Harnish said, “and the county commissioned another study in 1992.”

He said Knox County residents are used to a high level of service at a low cost. Moving to increased coverage – such as a municipal fire department for Knox County – would be very expensive, he said.

Fire protection codes for new and existing buildings could also be discussed, he said.

“An increase in population tends to drive demand for service up,” Harnish said. “Knox County is doing some really smart things.”

Talks on fire protection occur regularly among firefighters, Harnish said. He meets with area chiefs monthly, including volunteer and Knoxville department heads.

“To make sure that we’re covering issues,” Harnish said.

Firefighters are part of a close-knit community in the public service realm, so many times chiefs talk informally when several departments run out on calls together.

Bringing some of those talks up with county commissioners and the community on a countywide level could yield new approaches to fire protection, he agreed.

Expect the conversation to land on money, eventually. Increased fire protection equates to more cost in most cases.

“It’s a service that, over time, has been more expensive to provide than the general rate of inflation,” Harnish said. “There has to be an increasingly better way to pay for service, or a more aggressive effort to cut down the severity and frequency of large fires.”