To the current sitting members of the Board of Commissioners of Surry County,
NC.

Loyalty, trust, and service are just some of the principles that a firefighter
operates under. Loyalty to their chief, their fellow firefighters, and their community. It
takes time and effort to build trust between themselves and their community, and this is
something Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department is not lacking. The call of a firefighter
requires one to put others before themselves and serve their community. Bannertown
has faithfully and loyally served their district, as well as the residents beyond their
district, for over 62 years, building trust between themselves and the residents they
serve every year.

The recent announcement from the Surry County Board of Commissioners
concerning the renewal of Bannertown’s contract was not taken lightly by Bannertown
Volunteer Fire Department’s members or the community they serve. This
announcement was completely mishandled by the County, and led to waves of
misinformation in the fire department and the community, and was done without any
respect towards both parties.

Over the last five years (2020-2025) Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department has
faithfully responded to 3,764 calls, whether it be fire or medical. Of those 3,764 calls,
109 of those calls were done in assistance to Four Way, and 107 were done in an
assistance to the City of Mount Airy, further proving Bannertown Volunteer Fire
Department is a crucial part of their community and beyond.
A fire department’s ISO rating is a determination by the Insurance Services office by
how well your department is able to serve the community, it is also determined by miles
primarily through a property's distance from a fire station and a reliable water supply,
typically using road miles. Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department ISO rate is currently at 3.
With the closure of Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department ISO rates will go up as well as
insurance rates.

This decision has been presented as a cost-savings to the tax paying residents
of Surry County. In the official press release from the County, the claim was made that
all of this is being done for financial efficiency. However, the county also stated it that there
will be seven new positions created for the Surry County Fire Commission. It is unclear if these positions will be paid or un-paid. If they are paid positions, how will this be a cost-savings for the tax payers of Surry County?

Through this announcement, it has become absolutely clear that the current
members of the Board of Commissioners of Surry County do not hold the same values
that Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department operates under. The current board has shown that they are not loyal to the citizens of this county, that they are not serving the best interest of the residents of this county, and in doing so have broken any shred of trust they may have built with the hard working tax payers of this county and the members of Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department.

The decision to dissolve Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department and move its
assets under the control of Four Way Volunteer Fire Department without consulting the current chiefs of both departments and the public will be a disservice to everyone. The
fact that this decision was made entirely behind closed doors, without any transparency to the public and the Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department is appalling. As stated, earlier, loyalty and trust are some of the major principles under which Bannertown operates. Trust has been broken between the members of Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department and the County, and it is impossible to give loyalty without trust.

We the people of Surry County, and the constituents of Bannertown Volunteer
Fire Department are requesting that the County Board of Commissioners immediately pause any actions related to dissolving the Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department as it currently stands, and add a public open forum to the January 5th meeting agenda, concerning this issue, to give the public and the members of the volunteer fire departments the proper chance to discuss this with the County Board.

Bill Goings (Chairman)

Phone# 336-401-7350

Email: goingsb@co.surry.nc.us

Melissa Hiatt

Phone# 336-401-7870

Email: hiattm@co.surry.nc.us

Eddie Harris (Vice Chairman)

Phone# 336-401-1842

Email: harrise@co.surry.nc.us

Mark Marion

Phone # 336-401-7207

Email: marionm@co.surry.nc.us

Van tucker

Phone# 336-401-1466

Email: tuckerv@co.surry.nc.us