Walnut Fire Department to Replace Volunteer Agreement

The Town of Walnut is creating its own Walnut Fire Department, run as a department of the town, after the Walnut Volunteer Fire Department declined to renew its agreement with the town. In a statement posted Wednesday, Nov. 4, the mayor and Board of Aldermen told residents in capital letters that their fire protection “WILL NOT LAPSE.”

The announcement came hours after the volunteer department’s chief posted that his time with the department had ended, and it shows a public split between town leaders and the volunteers who have handled fire calls in the Tippah County town for years.

Why the Town Is Forming the Walnut Fire Department

According to the town’s statement, the volunteer department has long worked out of a building, and with equipment and funding, provided by the Town of Walnut. Town leaders said that over the past several months they tried several times to sign a formal, legally binding fire protection contract with the volunteers, but the agreement was never finalized.

The board said it learned during that process that there had been no written contract between the town and the fire department for about 20 years. The statement says state law and Mississippi Insurance Department guidelines call for written fire protection agreements that cover:

• Accountability and the responsibilities of each side
• Financial reporting
• Insurance
• Proper use of public funds

“Requiring a legal agreement is not a personal attack on anyone,” the mayor and aldermen wrote, calling it “a basic responsibility of local government.” They also said the effort was not meant to start a conflict or take control away from volunteers.

The board thanked the volunteer firefighters for their years of service and said nothing about the dispute takes away from the calls they answered or the lives they helped protect.

Former Chief Says Year Was a “Power Struggle”

On Tuesday night, Nov. 3, Brandon Wilbanks posted on the Walnut Fire & Rescue Facebook page that his time as chief, and as a member, had come to an end. He wrote that he had served nearly five years as fire chief and almost 14 years with the department.

Wilbanks said the town chose to end its contractual relationship with the volunteer department and start a new one. He described the past year as a struggle to keep a working relationship with the mayor and board, calling it, in his opinion, “a year-long power struggle.” He said he did not want to get caught up in politics.

“Creating a new department does not erase what these volunteers have built or what they have done for the people of Walnut,” he wrote, thanking the community for its support.

What Walnut Residents Should Know

• Coverage: Town leaders say fire protection will continue without interruption during the transition.
• New department: The Walnut Fire Department will be a department of the town, answerable to the mayor and Board of Aldermen.
• Still to come: The town’s statement did not say who will lead the new department, how many firefighters it will have, or when the change takes full effect.
• Emergencies: As always, call 911 for any fire or medical emergency.
• Questions: Walnut Town Hall is at 621 Main Street and can be reached at (662) 223-4405.

Tippah News will follow up as the town shares more about staffing, equipment and the timeline for the Walnut Fire Department.

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Source: Town of Walnut (Facebook)