Baldwin Fire Chief Joe Roy is seeking a mutual aid agreement with Habersham County for fire services. A mutual aid agreement would allow emergency responders to lend assistance across jurisdictional boundaries.
Roy addressed the proposed county mutual aid agreement during the August 10 Baldwin City Council meeting.
Currently, the Baldwin Fire Department has a mutual aid agreement with the Cornelia Fire Department. Roy has worked alongside Cornelia Fire Chief Chad Dyer for many years using mutual aid. Due to the success of partnering with Cornelia, Roy hopes to replicate that with the county.
During the meeting, Roy mentioned the mutual aid model of Alto Fire Department and Banks County. He advised that to be successful in this type of partnership, there must be a contract established between the two parties that benefit both sides.
Baldwin City Councilmember Jeff Parrish said he agrees with Roy’s suggestion.
Roy also recommended the council consider annexation to draw in more tax revenue to help fund the fire department and city operations.
No final vote has been taken on the matter, but Roy asked that the mutual aid issue be resolved by the end of the month.
