I noticed a recent article in Senatobia’s newspaper that helped put in perspective just how significant the news of the Class 7 fire rating for District 3 is for Yazoo County.
Tate County was thrilled with the news that its fire districts earned a Class 9 rating. The state gives ratings on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst rating. The county’s Emergency Management director and county fire coordinator also state that he was working hard to improve the county’s ratings to Class 8.
It says a lot about the quality of the volunteer fire departments in our county that we now have three Class 7 rating districts that include District 3, Benton and Vaughan.
One factor is the investments made by the county. Our volunteers have good equipment, and that equipment isn’t cheap.
Another factor is available water pressure. The districts with the best ratings have water available to fight fires when needed. That’s a significant challenge in an area where most communities are served by rural water association’s whose primary concern and responsibility is providing safe drinking water.
But the most important factor when it comes to Yazoo County is the volunteers who do the work.
These are men and women who are willing to drop what they’re doing at any time to protect others. They go through training, attend meetings and meet other responsibilities, often at their own expense.
Responding to fire calls is the most visible part of the job. The recent wildfire near Old Benton Road demonstrated just how dedicated our volunteers really are. They spent many hours protecting homes from a fire that could have been much more destructive without a focused effort to keep it contained.
But fire calls are just part of the job. Our volunteers respond to car accidents and even medical calls.
Often during an event that is terrifying to the people experiencing it, a volunteer firefighter is the first face they see that lets them know help is on the way. That means a lot.
Jack Willingham, Yazoo County’s Emergency Management director and county fire coordinator, said that work is being done to establish a fire rating district that would combine the resources of the Tri-Community and Bentonia volunteer fire departments to provide better insurance rates for residents in that area.
Yazoo County is blessed to have so many dedicated volunteers willing to give their valuable time and even sometimes risk their lives for the safety of others.
We all should be thankful for every single one of them.
