Aug. 24--CARLSBAD >> Volunteer firefighters and their fire chiefs from the county's 11 fire departments say they will resign, leaving county residents and businesses without fire protection, if the Eddy County Commission approves a proposed administrative policies document and appoints Joel Arnwine, Eddy County Emergency Preparedness manager, as the chief administrator for the departments.
They say they have no confidence in Arnwine.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," said Casey White, Sun County fire chief. "We all get the standard operating procedures and the county has one too. The problem I see with this is that the county does not have a Plan A or B if we were to all quit."
The loss of fire protection could be devastating. Eddy County's total acreage comprised of federal, state and private land within Eddy County's borders is 2.6 million acres. The rural volunteer fire departments, with personnel numbering more than 200, are first responders in their designated areas.
They also assist the cities of Carlsbad and Artesia, the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service fire teams when needed.
The draft policy, crafted by Arnwine, has undergone two rewrites since the first draft was presented to them, according to the fire chiefs, who said they have not seen the final draft.
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