VIDEO: Declining population, the rising costs of gear, and a general decrease in volunteerism are putting a damper on firefighting in communities across the nation, including Tazewell County.
These are some of the factors that prompted the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors to make changes to their firefighting services โ more specifically volunteer firefighting. Through the years, each community has been responsible for its own fire protection services.
The Board decided to enact a meals tax earlier in 2025 and that will help for funding purposes, which was further explored at their latest meeting. This new ordinance, in part, will centralize the command for all their volunteer fire departments.
This ordinance will also lead to the creation of a new separate fire department with part-time firefighters that can help the volunteers, especially during times of the day that are tougher for them to call in volunteer firefighters.
