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Walton fire chief faces tough questions
Published April 16, 2006
WALTON COUNTY — Former and current firefighters have come forward to the Tribune with grievances about the treatment of personnel and practices that have been put in place by Walton County Fire Chief Steve Couch since his arrival more than two years ago.
“I have nothing against the fire department itself, and I am not just some disgruntled former employee,” said John Cumbie, a Walton County resident who was a full-time firefighter with the county for more than four years. “Some of the practices that have been put in place could result in someone dying. It is plain and simple. Steve Couch has changed lives, ruined careers and has been putting the public’s safety at risk. Someone needs to step up and do the right thing and we can change this.”
Cumbie is not alone.
During a month-long investigation into the practices, the Tribune was contacted by more than 20 current and former personnel, some who were granted anonymity due to perceived fears of reprisals. What surfaced were allegations that engines did not respond to calls in their own response areas, training exercises left areas of the county unprotected and firefighters have been quitting since Couch has been in charge.
“I have tried to clearly evaluate the public’s expectations of their fire and rescue services,” Couch said. “I have tried to make immediate changes that will enhance the level of service provided to the public with our current resources and I have been up front and honest with our people.”
Training and efficiency
Training is a necessary component to being a firefighter. In Walton County, that means personnel leaving their respective stations to train at Station 14 on Bold Springs Road. According to Couch, this may mean up to three engines and personnel leaving a station for classes and drills. Firefighters say this leaves their coverage area vulnerable. Those who have come forward say as recently as in the past six weeks, up to six units have been at Station 14 at one time training, which is more than half of the county’s manpower and equipment.
According to Couch, other units are relocated to cover their respective coverage areas and that the training sessions and practices have been approved by the Walton County Board of Commissioners.
But on April 6, 2005, a fire broke out at 3640 Creekwood Trail in Loganville while one of these training sessions was taking place. According to documents, the call was dispatched out at 4:41 p.m. and within seven minutes Engine 13 stationed near the Rockdale County line arrived on the scene, which is the average response time for the WCFD.
But it would take another seven minutes before the District 2 truck, which was at Station 14 for the training, responded from more than 15 miles away.
The issue has also been raised about the effective use of equipment that already exists within the fire department. While no official log book was provided for Station 14, which exists for every other station and would have provided detailed information about the responses of the engine stationed there, the log book for District Truck 1 yielded sporadic calls in which Engine 14 responded to. The log books of stations 8, near Bold Springs and 9, near Gratis, revealed several instances where these engines responded to calls inside the coverage area of Station 14.
Volunteers
Since Couch’s takeover, the number of volunteers with the Walton County Fire Department has steadily dwindled down to its current number of 28 from a peak of nearly 60.
“I have recruited new volunteers and have shown great respect for the efforts of the long-term volunteers to build up this department,” Couch said. “It is a fact that across the country the number of volunteer firefighters are declining.”
Some of those who have taken jobs with other departments have said the main reason they left was Couch. But the fire chief chalks up the decline more so to state mandates that increased requirements to be on the end of a hose.
In July 2004, according to Couch, the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council completely revised and changed the basic requirements of a Georgia firefighter. Couch said that he holds all of his firefighters — including the volunteers — to a high standard of NPQ1.
Couch said that he has made every effort he can to maintain the number of volunteers who are willing to meet the work requirements so that they can maintain their pension.
Personnel
Since Couch’s arrival, more than 20 firefighters have left the department. Couch credited many of the departures to the current pay scale, where firefighters can go to neighboring counties for better pay.
But others credit it to policy changes by Couch.
Couch has shifted personnel around from station to station as well as to different shifts, sometimes as many as three or four times a year. Firefighters say that this does not allow them to become familiar with the area or hold a second job with such practices. To counter that, the fire chief said these moves have been made in the best interest of the department. Couch added that personnel are often moved from slower stations to faster ones and vice versa to meet training and personnel development goals.
Some of his loudest detractors say Couch gives preferential treatment to firefighters from DeKalb County, where he worked prior to Walton County. While only two members of the department’s staff are DeKalb County residents, there are a number that serve as temporary employees.
Couch pointed out that in many cases, these firefighters have received thousands of dollars of training and are paid as hourly employees with no benefits.
Accusations of changing shift times to accommodate DeKalb County personnel are unfounded, according to Couch.
“We now change shifts at 8 a.m., which means that all the personnel in both the fire and Emergency Medical Services departments change shifts at the same time,” Couch said. “We now all arrive 8 a.m. and communications between the shifts, the two departments, and line and staff personnel is improved.”
Social Circle and Oasis
According to several officials, Couch has made repeated attempts to take over the municipal fire stations as well as the county’s EMS to bring them under his control. Couch has also repeatedly called off personnel from other fire departments who are responding to calls in the county.
According to reports, on Feb. 8 a call was made from 2280 Grand Oaks Drive of a patient suffering from chest pains. Members from the Social Circle Public Safety Department responded but were called off. They continued to the call and arrived five minutes before Walton firefighters did.
SCPSD officials contend they have been called off several times but still responded to calls, often beating WCFD trucks by minutes to a call.
The issue has also been raised about why efforts are being taken to re-establish the Oasis fire station, which is to be located off Hwy. 278. It has been estimated that refurbishing the station will cost $30,000, in addition to costs of staffing and equipping the station. Couch is building a house nearby off of Knox Chapel Road, but he is quick to argue he had little to do with the initial planning of this project.
“The need for an Oasis fire station is for the county and the choice to live in the area is driven by quality of life for my golden years,” Couch said. “I support it because it is a good deal for the community, but the project was initiated by the lack of a contract [with Social Circle].”
The area that would be supported by this station, according to SCPSD officials, included 14 calls last year to the Oasis community and a total of 100 calls on average per year in the total coverage area.
Walton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Kevin Little said that he continues to support Couch.
Couch points out that improvements have been made with the WCFD. Standard operating guidelines to ensure consistent delivery of services have been established. Disaster preparedness has been enhanced. Relationships with neighboring fire departments have been improved and modern data management systems implemented.
But with promises of more departures to come, the continued need for better response times and inefficient use of current equipment, the growing pains the fire department is feeling may be more than just due to growth.
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