Staff Report
Following public and political pressure earlier this week, the West End Fire and Rescue Department and the Village of Foxfire reached an agreement for fire coverage.
West End Fire and Rescue has provided service for Foxfire for nearly 70 years, with both parties signing on a contract that the village would pay to support the department’s operations.
A contractual dispute for this fiscal year led West End to pull its 24-hour resources at the Foxfire substation earlier this month, after it had not received the first quarter payment from Foxfire. West End Fire said it still responded to calls in the area through the situation.
The disagreement led to State Sen. Tom McInnis and State Rep. Neal Jackson, both of whom represent the area in the state legislature, released a statement earlier this week urging both parties to come to an agreement.
West End Fire and Rescue Chief Erik Stromberg posted on the department’s Facebook Tuesday night that an agreement was reached and a new contract will be finalized this week.
“Once signed and the outstanding payment is made, staffing will be restored,” Stromberg said.
With the Foxfire substation, the fire rating for Foxfire is at 3, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the best score. The lower the rating, the lower the home insurance rates for a fire district.
Without the substation in use, the fire rating in Foxfire would go to 9.
