King firefighters, city council go head to head again

(By Leslie Bray Evans, The Stokes News) - For the second month in a row, it was lights, camera, action at the King City Council meeting. On Monday night, local TV stations again turned out to document the controversy between King firefighters and the King City Council. Firefighters and city residents spoke out to demand something be done about the lack of funding for the fire department.

“The group, as well as the citizens, that came together to talk to city council have asked for a plan of action to see that supplies will be provided,” King Fire Chief Randy Williams explained. He added that one of the main concerns is that the fire department is using 30-year-old rescue equipment, with some of the hoses being almost 40 years old.

Another problem is the lack of agreement on which of three entities should fund what. Of the King Fire District area covered, 39 percent of it is in the King city limits, 31 percent outside the city limits in Stokes County and 30 percent outside the city limits in Forsyth County.