The grand daddy of them all, the Salyersville Fire Department, is still alive and working well, thanks to a strong volunteer force and a little help from friends.

The grand daddy of them all, the Salyersville Fire Department, is still alive and working well, thanks to a strong volunteer force and a little help from friends.
The grand daddy of them all, the Salyersville Fire Department, is still alive and working well, thanks to a strong volunteer force and a little help from friends.
The grand daddy of them all, the Salyersville Fire Department, is still alive and working well, thanks to a strong volunteer force and a little help from friends.
“Without volunteers you couldn’t have a fire department because without volunteers you would have nothing,” Salyersville fire chief Paul Howard said.

“People donating their time and effort to serve their community is what makes having a fire department even possible.”
Along with assistant chief Nathan Cole and duty officers Steve Pelphrey and Zach Bauer, the Salyersville department features a total of 28 volunteers.
Formed in 1946, the department functioned for many years as the only one located in Magoffin County and depended on departments from surrounding counties for assistance in major fires and other emergencies.

Howard is currently in his third stint as chief after taking the helm again in 1996. He served for 31 days in 1978 and again from 1982 through 1986.

Under his latest watch, the department’s Insurance Service Rating (ISR) has dropped from 10 to five with the lower rating being a better one for local homeowners.
“The lower ISR helps the community,” Howard explained. “The lower the rating the lower the insurance rate.”
Chief Howard also says fire protection in both the county and the city has improved dramatically with the addition of departments within Magoffin County over the past decade or so.
“The city and the county is better off in fire protection than it has ever been in history,” Howard said. “In the city we get mutual aid from all the county’s departments and we provide the same for them.
“When we were the only department me might have 30 some volunteers where now, counting the other departments we have over a 100 fire fighters we can call on.”
The Salyersville department also provides services and assistance in auto extraction, lost persons, EMS non-transport, traffic control, funeral escorts, and animal control.

“You name it and we do it,” Howard said. “A volunteer fire department is a crutch for its community.”

The Salyersville department also includes a nine-man certified dive team, a HAZMAT team and equipment, which also provides a primary EMS and rescue vehicle.
Chief Howard said the department’s separate location has been a bonus for the fire department and the community.
“It’s better today than it’s ever been thanks to the mayor and the council for having the insight to purchase property and provide us with this location,” he said.
The location, just up the street from City Hall, serves many purposes, including hosting social gatherings and even a homeless shelter sight from time to time.
During the 2009 ice storm, the fire house retained power and served as a central location for the local ambulance service and the Magoffin County Rescue Squad.
During 2009, the department conducted a total of 310 runs involving everything from house fires to coaxing the family cat to exit a tree.
Currently, Chief Howard and the department is hoping to either secure a grant or do some re-financing in an effort to purchase a new truck.
“We do need a new truck and I’m trying to get that taken care of,” Howard said. “The one we have is a 2001 model so it’s about time for a new one.”
Meanwhile Chief Howard and his dedicated staff and volunteers will keep on keeping on, whether it is protecting life and property or helping bring Whiskers back down to earth.