NASHVILLE, Ind. --
The Brown County Commissioners on Tuesday night approved consolidating the county's volunteer fire departments into a single agency despite vocal opposition from firefighters and residents.
The board voted 2-1 in favor of the new fire district under a governing board appointed by the commissioners.
Commissioner Blake Wolford said the new district would relieve the volunteer departments of legal and bookkeeping duties, allowing firefighters to focus on emergency response.
More than 100 people filled the meeting room, with many people shouting and groaning at comments by commissioners supporting the plan.
Nashville Fire Chief Dak Kelp said that none of his department's volunteers supported the change. Representatives from other departments, including Van Buren, Cordry/Sweetwater and Fruitdale, also said they did not support the district.
"I can't understand how you came to the conclusion that people are in favor of this," resident John Mills said.
The new fire district would include the entire county except for the town of Nashville, about 20 miles east of Bloomington. The Nashville Town Council could vote to join the district, but several council members have said they were against the move.
Wolford said the single district would help with finances, grant applications and other department responsibilities and would be accepted as the emotional response dies down.
