The City of Midway’s fire certification has been suspended as city officials put together a plan to revive its fire department.

Members of the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council’s voted last Thursday to suspend the city’s certificate, rather than pull it completely.

“They are expecting us to work as quickly as we can to get our station in order,” Midway council member and mayor pro tem Dr. Clemontine Washington said at a special called council meeting. “They noted we were making progress.”

“You can look at it as a blessing in disguise,” added Cornelius Robinson, the Fairburn fire chief who has been consulting the Midway City Council. “Now it allows us to proceed to get everything right like we want it.”

Council members, after an executive session, voted 3-1 to get the city fire station up and running as soon as possible, staffed by the city’s own fire fighters. Council member Malcolm Williams cast the dissenting vote. Council members also voted 3-1 to enter into an automatic mutual aid agreement with Liberty County and other agencies to provide fire coverage for Midway.

County commissioners, at their meeting Tuesday night, agreed to provide fire coverage to Midway for the next 120 days in a 5-1-1 vote. Commissioner Eddie Walden voted against it, and Commissioner Connie Thrift abstained.

Commissioners also engaged in a lengthy debate about fire protection before casting their vote.

“I feel we should be doing the right thing for the citizens,” Commissioner Justin Frasier said.

“We have an obligation to protect the citizens,” added Commissioner Timmy Blount.

Walden pointed out that County Administrator Joey Brown, Fire Chief Brian Darby and county attorney Kelly Davis went to Midway’s council to work on an agreement in good faith.

“And we thought it was going to work,” he said. “And now, they want to go back. It looked like it was something that was going to be beneficial for the folks in that area.”

Under the agreement commissioners approved Tuesday night, the county stands to get reimbursed for costs of covering fire calls in Midway. Currently, the county is not running medical calls in Midway unless there is CPR underway or requested by EMS to do so.

“Those citizens belong to us and we would not allow them to not have any kind of fire coverage,” Chairman Donald Lovette said. “They have now come with a plan to stand up their own fire department. No longer will it be coverage without any kind of compensation.”

Under the county’s initial proposal, coverage for Midway would come from the Miller Park station before a new station could be built south of the city on Highway 17.

While the city could hire fire fighters in the next few weeks, getting apparatus may take longer.

Darby pointed out that a new fire engine could take at least 24 months to be delivered once it is ordered, though the city could purchase a truck from a dealer that is either a demo model or one or two years old. The city’s two fire trucks are county property, and the county has spent $18,000 on repairs to the newer of the two vehicles.

Washington, who was at the commissioners’ meeting, said the city could follow that route to get new trucks.

Darby said the newer of the two trucks the city had been using could help the county’s department.

“Our fleet is aging. It is going to cost us some money to get it up to par,” he said. “But it is definitely needed in our fleet.”

Mayor Levern Clancy said GFSTC executive director Randy Toms called him and told him the city can proceed with its plans and once they are ready, the GFSTC will do an inspection.

“We want to move as quickly as possible,” Clancy said.

By phone during a city council meeting last week, Toms warned the city they were in danger of having their certification pulled.

“You are in a serious, serious state of noncompliance and the time of kicking the can down the road has to come to an end,” he told council members.

Toms had given the city council until April 1, but that was with the understanding of a potential agreement with the county for fire coverage.

The county had broached covering the city with personnel and equipment dedicated solely to Midway. As part of a broader plan for fire coverage, the proposal also included a new station south of Midway to be staffed with full-time personnel in five years. Under the county’s plan, there would be two firefighters per shift for the first two years, with adding a lieutenant per shift and in the fifth year, going to three firefighters and one lieutenant per shift.

The county’s framework for coverage includes salaries, benefits and new turnout gear for firefighters.

The city’s roster of volunteer firefighters is down to two. Last year, the city advertised hiring a fulltime chief for between $70,000 and $72,000 a year and a deputy chief at $25 per hour.

Washington said once the city hires a chief, it will be up to that person to hire the rest of the department.