Nolensville receives Municipal League award for Excellence in Strategic Planning in Fire Service
As municipalities experience significant economic and community growth, the pressure is on to ensure adequate service delivery to a growing city, a challenge the city of Nolensville has met head on.
In recognition of the concerted efforts made by the city of Nolensville to incorporate strategic planning that ensures the local fire service can meet the demands of a growing community, the Tennessee Municipal League is pleased to present Nolensville with an award for Excellence in Strategic Planning in Fire Service. The award will be presented Tuesday, July 25, at the 83rd Annual Conference of the Tennessee Municipal League (TML) held at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.
The Town of Nolensville has experienced a great deal of change in recent years, both in terms of how the municipality works and the growth the area is experiencing. Among these changes is transforming a volunteer fire department into a full-service municipal department.
Town officials worked with fire officials and UT-MTAS to create a new fire and rescue department that will serve more than 14,000 residents in Nolensville as well as an additional 4,000 residents living in Williamson County. The department also has an automatic aid agreement with Brentwood. Strategic planning was vital to ensure that the department was built to serve the community from the ground up.
From hiring a new chief, new fire personnel, and creating policy manuals and best practices to planning for the growth and expansion of the department’s footprint and equipment, Nolensville officials were largely starting from scratch.
After initially borrowing vehicles from the outgoing volunteer organization and Williamson County, Nolensville purchased its first stock fire engine. Negotiations are ongoing to transition equipment from the volunteer department to the municipal department. A fire impact fee has also been approved to help finance capital needs for the department, especially as the average home size in Nolensville is generally above the state average.
Other equipment acquired for the department includes Life Pak 15 defibrillators, 16 self-contained breathing apparatus, portable radios, three smaller vehicles, and a temporary living facility. Two FEMA grants are presently being considered to help finance a ladder truck and air compressor. Overdue maintenance has also been made to fire hydrants throughout the town with hydrants placed on the Town’s GIS system.
Ground has also been broken on the first municipal fire station for the city with an additional piece of property being purchased for an additional station . The department presently operates out of the former volunteer facility owned by Williamson county.
Planning has also led to personnel growth and professional development including the first state fire inspector certification, a fire marshal, car seat technician certifications, pumper driver training, and the hiring of numerous firefighters.