CLEVELAND, Ga. — Actions taken by the White County Board of Commissioners during their meeting on Monday should result in an increase in fire protection for some residents in the Town Creek area and possibly help homeowners with their insurance premium rates.
The board approved renewing an existing automatic aid agreement for fire services with Lumpkin County. The original automatic aid agreement was signed in 2014.
The fire protection will come from the new Lumpkin County Fire station on Town Creek Church Road and will serve residents from Sandy Flats Road and the northern end of Gene Nix Road northward.
Agreement With Cleveland and Helen
The commissioners also approved agreements with the City of Cleveland and Helen that will allow each of the city’s fire departments to use the White County Public Safety Training Center located at Yonah Preserve. The agreement encourages joint training among all fire agencies within the county.
The Public Safety Training Center is currently under development. White County and outside agencies, such as Gainesville, Lumpkin County, and federal partners, have used it for training.
White County Public Safety Director David Murphy noted that formalizing this agreement helps save money since the cities will no longer need to invest in their own training centers. Increased training will add ISO points, potentially lowering insurance costs. And it promotes joint training among agencies in the county.
