ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Board of Commissioners approved annual agreements with seven fire departments that outline fire protection services for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.
The one-year agreements cover Cordova Fire and Rescue, Derby Fire Department, East Rockingham Fire Department, Mountain Creek Fire Department, Northside Fire Department, Mount Gilead Fire Department and Pekin Fire Department. Under the agreements, the county will pay Cordova and Northside $4,000 each, Derby $8,000 and Mountain Creek $6,000 for fire protection services. East Rockingham’s agreement provides for funding through its fire service district, while separate agreements provide Mount Gilead and Pekin $2,000 each to provide fire coverage in the Mangum Community.
Emergency Services Director Bob Smith presented the contracts for approval.
“Nothing has changed from previous years. This is standard procedure each year for our fire departments that are currently… under serve or tax district to approve their contracts for the year,” said Smith.
Following the approval, Commissioner Jamie Gathings thanked Smith and emergency responders for their response to a recent house fire at one of his rental properties.
“Hamlet Fire Department, East Rockingham Fire Department, Cordova, fast response, very good. Saved my trailer— not many trailers get saved, and they saved it… Thank you for the CAD Notes, Bryan [Land], thank you,” Gathings said. “That’s really good for our guys. Matter of fact, it was an 80-year-old woman. She didn’t even want to get out of the house ‘cause she had a dog in there, so it came across our CAD [Computer-Aided Dispatch] notes that she wasn’t willing to evacuate.”
The board also received an update on the firefighter training facility under construction in East Rockingham.
Commissioner Jason Gainey asked Smith for an update on the training facility under construction on Airport Road, which will be available to all fire departments in the county. In March, the commissioners approved a $50,000 budget amendment to complete the facility. The funding came from interest earned on investments.
“I have not spoken with [Chief Dennis Smith Jr. of the East Rockingham Fire Department] J.R. directly concerning that in probably the last month or so, but I do know that it is fully erected at this point. I think the funds actually helped to do a few extra things that we needed for our firemen that weren’t originally part of the planning on things, such as like a grain silo for like silo rescues and stuff,” Smith said.
Smith continued, “It’s really, really coming together… they’ve got it painted… and I think at this point, they’re working on the interior because once you get all those boxes connected, then you’ve got to start opening them up to connect them together to allow, you know, movement through them to set up the different scenarios, but it is coming along very, very well and probably going to be one of the better assets that we’ve needed for a long, long time for our firemen.”