Fire funding fight ignites at Noma Town Council

Tensions surrounding the future of the Noma Fire Department and interdepartmental cooperation were brought to the forefront during the May 4 Noma Town Council meeting, as members of the Esto Fire Department, addressed concerns over fundraising activities and the long-term sustainability of the department.

Among those speaking during the meeting was Esto Fire Chief Cliff Kimble, who voiced frustration over what he described as a lack of communication and respect between neighboring fire departments regarding boot drives conducted within the Esto Fire District.

“There’s sort of like a brotherhood of respect with firefighters. We don’t go into everybody’s territory, just doing whatever we feel like, without even talking to them,” Kimble told the council. “And a couple times it’s happened with y’all’s acting chief,” he added, referring to acting Noma Fire Chief Zechariah Flowers.

Kimble explained that boot drives are a significant source of fundraising for the Esto Fire Department and directly support community-centered programs and events. According to Kimble, funds raised through the drives help provide initiatives such as the department’s annual Santa in the Park program, where firefighters distribute toys, clothing, and groceries to local families in need, as well as the department’s annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration.

Kimble said fundraising overlap between departments was negatively affecting Esto Fire Department’s ability to generate revenue for those programs.

“But I told him, I said, ‘If you decide to continue disrespecting me, I’ll give a certified letter sent to the council, telling them that if they can’t get control of Zach, to stop him disrespecting us, that we just wouldn’t cover Noma Fire Department because they got Noma Fire Department,’” Kimble stated during the meeting.

The discussion later shifted toward broader concerns regarding the financial and operational future of the Noma Fire Department.

Kimble stated that former Noma Fire Chief Michael Hernandez had previously suggested dissolving the Noma Fire Department and redirecting county funding to the Esto Fire Department to provide fire protection services for the town of Noma.

Noma Town Council member Daniel Arrant also expressed concerns about the department’s financial viability and potential liability risks associated with maintaining fire service operations.

“I punched the numbers and couldn’t see how the town could afford to keep the fire department financially above board,” Arrant said.

Arrant cited concerns over equipment inspections, maintenance requirements, and potential legal exposure if safety standards were not met.

“If there is something that was not maintained properly, and there is not a document coming from a reputable, certified person that is supposed to be inspecting that specific item, and it is not within date, if someone gets injured because of that, someone is going to be pointing fingers,” Arrant stated. “The town is going to be responsible for paying a wrongful death lawsuit.”

Arrant warned that a major lawsuit could financially cripple the town and dramatically increase insurance costs.

“One lawsuit could cost us potentially up to probably $10 million,” he said. “That’s what our insurance company is gonna have to pay. Our insurance right now is almost $35,000 a year. When the insurance company gets done with a $10 million lawsuit, we’re probably gonna go to $60,000, and at that point, the town council, neither the town, would be able to function and pay a town clerk, a maintenance guy, and maintain the town the way that it’s supposed to be maintained.”

Arrant said former Chief Hernandez had also expressed concerns regarding the department’s sustainability prior to leaving the position.

“Michael 100% has stated before he stepped out of his position, the Noma Town Fire Department is not sustainable considering the budget that we have,” Arrant stated.

Arrant added that the town continues to face numerous infrastructure and quality-of-life concerns that also require financial attention.

“We still got issues with water and sewer that we haven’t figured out. We’ve got the roadway, we’ve got people burning trash in their yards on a daily basis still. We have trash up and down the roads all the time,” Arrant said. “There are so many other things that we can focus on to get right for the residents in the town than trying to kill ourselves with maintaining something that we can’t maintain right now.”

During the discussion, Kimble also referenced ongoing conversations involving the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office potentially assisting local fire departments with grant writing and funding support.

The topic was later addressed during a Holmes County Board of County Commissioners meeting, where Holmes County Sheriff John Tate stated that his interest was focused solely on helping local departments secure funding opportunities and obtain equipment needed to improve operations.

Tate said discussions remain in the early stages but noted he had already met with local fire chiefs to better understand the needs and long-term vision for county fire services.

According to Tate, additional information and direction regarding those discussions is expected to be presented at a future meeting.