EAST SPENCER — Officials from the state fire marshal’s office plan to mail letters next week confirming the recertification of the East Spencer Volunteer Fire Department.
“Everything looks like it is in place for them to be recertified,” Keith McCloud, from the fire marshal’s office, said Friday. He said city officials should receive their letters next week.
The department had been working under provisional certification since October and ran the risk of being closed without the recertification. The department gathered last Saturday to to test its pumper truck, with the results weighing heavily on the department’s fate.
County Fire Marshal Arthur Delaney said Friday he is pleased and that his office will work with the department in the coming months. At the pump test, Delaney and Jeff Russell, a retired Concord Fire Department captain who was conducting the inspection, assisted the department and at times showed correct procedures.
East Spencer Alderman John Noble agreed that training in the future will be key. Noble also plans to organize 24-hour coverage — two 12-hour shifts, with two volunteers each shift — at the fire station in coming weeks.
Noble said the department is getting a second truck that is being repaired from Winston-Salem.
He plans to recruit more firefighters and solicit assistance from other departments and veterans of the East Spencer Department.
At last week’s pump test, Fire Department Chief Jackie Stinson said he wants to increase the roster from 20 to 30 members.
But at least one person says town officials are turning away volunteers. William Shavings, who lives in Salisbury, said he and several other men applied to the town’s board in November only to be denied.
“I just wanted everyone to know that there are people applying to that department and the town is turning people down,” he said.
Shavings served with the department off and on from September 1992 until Feb. 8, 1999. He finally left, he said, because of differences with East Spencer Alderman Chris Sharpe about what type of truck the department should buy.
When he re-applied this November, the board said no.
Sharpe said that Shavings and the other volunteers’ history “is not something that would benefit the town of East Spencer.”
After consideration and review of the applications, the board voted not to approve them, he said. Sharpe added that he could not elaborate because of rules governing personnel matters.
Shavings said that he has more than 1,000 hours of fire training and served for 14 years on the East Spencer and Woodleaf departments.
“After seven years of service I’m not good enough anymore,” Shavings said.
Now he plans to apply with departments in Charlotte and Concord in an attempt to “try to put my training to good use.”
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