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County needing more firefighters
One of the things people in Cherokee County most take for granted is our network of volunteer fire departments. From the Tennessee line to Topton, and all points in between, we’ve been fortunate to have a vital public safety service provided for relatively little money.
We shouldn’t take it for granted anymore. Generations change, and while the vast majority of local residents sing the
praises of their community’s fire department and don’t mind giving to the cause, fewer people have been able and willing to put themselves on the line by actually stepping up to fight fires.
Chad McNabb, chief of the Hiwassee Dam Volunteer Fire Department and one of the county’s most experienced firefighters, has seen his department’s rolls rise and fall before – but not to this extent. “I know we are hurting for help,” he told me in an email, “and I feel we are far from the only ones.”
While Hiwassee Dam has a large roster of active members, it also has three stations – the main one beside Hiwassee Dam School off of N.C. 294, one at 150 Wehutty Road and one at the entrance to Bear Paw resort – but the vast majority live closer to the main station. As a result, “We are struggling mightily with having enough members to respond from the other two stations,” McNabb said.
What’s happened in Wehutty is typical for many volunteer fire departments. One person was responding the most from that station; unfortunately, he passed away two weeks ago, leaving nearby residents in jeopardy of not having anyone available to respond in a fire.
What does that mean? McNabb said if the Wehutty station closes, every home within that service area would become a class 10, which basically means it would not be insurable. We must do everything we can to keep that from happening.
Folks who move to Cherokee County from larger areas, where fire departments typically consist of paid employees, may not know how vital this service is here. They also may not know just how much it would cost to replace our volunteer firefighters with paid professionals, but we all may be forced to find out if the downward trend continues.
The best and most cost-effective option is to have more people “join, train and respond, which helps the entire community,” as McNabb put it. Please consider what you can do to help, then call your area’s fire department’s chief or email McNabb at chief@hiwasseedamfire.com. They will be very happy to hear from you.
Proposed postage rates are ‘punitive’
The proposed Jan. 21, 2024, postage increase for newspapers is nearly four times the rate increase proposed for other users of the mail. In a somber announcement made on Friday the 13th of September, the U.S. Postal Service announced it expected a 7.3 percent increase for the local “within county” mailing rate for newspapers.
The average proposed increase for first-class mail is 1.9 percent, even though the first-class stamp rate would rise by 2 cents to $.68. The proposed increase for advertising mail is also 1.9 percent, though the increase within that mail class used by local newspapers to distribute shoppers and other advertising mail increases ranging from 2.1-3.9 percent, depending upon mail density. The rate for periodicals mail destined for outside the publisher’s county would settle at a more modest 1.59 percent; that rate is also used by national magazines and other national publications.
National Newspaper Association Chair John Galer, publisher of The Journal-News in Hillsboro, Ill., said the dramatic rate increase for community newspapers was a shock. That’s a big reason why newspapers like the Cherokee Scout have had to increase subscription rates.
“It certainly seems as if the Postal Service wants to discourage newspapers from using the mail. At a time when local journalism is already in peril, and more newspapers are using the mail to reach subscribers, this increase is simply punitive,” Galer said.
“Raising our prices so it can claim it is creating a fair discount is the sort of math we associate with shady deals. Our industry has been doing a lot of mail preparation work for years to help keep postal costs down. To be punished for that work adds outrage to our disappointment.”
Details of the postal rate announcement are available on the Postal Rate Commission’s website at arkcase.com.
– Publisher David Brown