The proposed merger of the Burningtown Iotla and Cowee Fire and Rescue Departments remained unresolved after two lengthy and often heated discussions with Macon County Board of Commissioners at the May 22 and 28 work meetings.
Ken McCaskill announced he had taken on the role as interim chief and board chairman of the Burningtown Iotla Fire and Rescue following the resignation of Mike Yakes (see Macon Sense’s May 22 edition).
“We lost two personnel simply because of the situation and discussion that went on here,” said McCaskill, referencing the May 13 commissioners meeting in which Burningtown’s eight-month probation was under scrutiny.
“I’m going to be blatantly honest with you,” said McCaskill on May 22, as he recounted the recent history of Burningtown issues. “We had a vote of no confidence on the chief that was elected by the firefighters. He was ousted. We had another one who really wasn’t doing the job and therefore we got behind on reports…When we found out, he also left not under good standing.” He elaborated that leadership challenges had resulted in the turnover of four chiefs in two years and led to reduced recruiting.
McCaskill argued for more time for the current organization to address the wide variety of challenges that Burningtown faces. He asked commissioners to wait until the Burningtown board could meet with community members on July 21 to discuss the proposed merger and to address complex budget alignment questions. The meeting will also allow the community to nominate new Burningtown board directors to ensure a balanced slate of community members and firefighters to direct future actions.
Moving forward
In a separate interview, McCaskill provided an update on remedies the Burningtown board has taken in recent months, remaining upbeat about the fixes needed due to community support he was seeing.
“We have more than 19 members, but not all have been able to get [the required 36 hours of] training in,” asserted McCaskill; he added that most would reach the requirements by the end of July. He explained that almost all the deficiencies that originally brought on the probationary period were addressed by December 2024, although required reporting had remained an issue. McCaskill said a certified pumper and back-up pumper were located at both stations, and the county was working with Burningtown on a back-up repeater to ensure original paging for distress calls was not missed.
“We’re in the process of reorganizing,” explained McCaskill. The Burningtown board, which met on May 29, had decided to take a two-track approach in which it will seek to remedy all deficiencies to remain independent, while remaining open to dialogue with Cowee on a potential merger.
“We will be working daily in this time period responding to calls, getting our membership numbers up, training up, and being capable as a stand-alone fire department [as we have been] in the past,” said McCaskill. “At the same time, it’s not simple to consolidate two departments. Our board is set up differently than Cowee’s board. We have a small life insurance policy for firefighters who have put in more than a year. We have a different 501(c)3. We’re a nonprofit and can accept monetary donations and can pursue grants. But we are also registered with the N.C. Secretary of State and there are steps on how to close out outstanding loans and liabilities.”
On May 28, Commissioner Barry Breeden asked for a motion to terminate the contract with Burningtown Iotla Fire Department effective immediately; it failed on a 2-3 vote. A second motion by Chairman Josh Young to move for another vote on the matter was approved by commissioners and set no later than July 31, 2025.
McCaskill was appreciative of the delay and said much would be determined in the coming weeks. He invited robust community attendance at the July 21 meeting and said the department would seek to hold a fundraiser in early July to ensure all options on one of the current strategies had been explored.
Pictured Top: Ken McCaskill, interim chief of the Burningtown Iotla Fire and Rescue, from an earlier County Commissioner meeting.