About 50 Monroe County leaders celebrated this morning (Friday, March 7) the official Grand Opening of the new Monroe County Fire Station 10 on Ray Hartley Road in Smarr with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Monroe County Emergency Services (MCES) Chief Matt Jackson emceed the 40-minute-long ceremony, which capped off a month-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Monroe County Fire Department, which opened in 1975.
Friday’s Station 10 Grand Opening was attended by Monroe County Commissioners, MCES staffers, members of the Development Authority of Monroe County, Rumble Road-area business owners, the Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce Board, and representatives of Oglethorpe Power. Oglethorpe Power donated four acres of land in October 2022 on which the new fire station was built. The previous Station 10 was located on Evans Road off Hwy. 41 South, but it was destroyed by an overnight fire in November 2021. Monroe County Commissioners sought to rebuild Station 10 in a more central location in the county closer to I-75, and Oglethorpe Power graciously donated land just west of the interstate near where it plans to build a new natural gas-fired power plant set to open in 2029.
Chief Jackson thanked Monroe County Commissioners, Monroe County Manager Jim Hedges, builder Robert Muckenfuss of Forsyth’s Proform Construction, LLC, and Oglethorpe Power for their respective roles in building “probably the best-looking fire station in Monroe County.”
All five Monroe County Commissioners were among the speakers at the event. Commission Chairman Alan Gibbs thanked Oglethorpe Power for donating the land and thanked the previous Board of Commission members for their work in finding a suitable location. District 3 Commissioner John Ambrose said he initially asked Oglethorpe Power to sell the county an acre or an acre-and-a-half for the fire station spot, and the company ended up donating more than twice that much land to Monroe County.
Commissioner Ambrose said of Oglethorpe Power: “They are a partner of Monroe County. I can’t thank you enough.”
District 2 Commissioner Eddie Rowland thanked Chief Jackson and his staff for keeping Monroe County citizens safe. District 1 Commissioner Lamarcus Davis thanked the citizens of Monroe County for their support and urged them to reach out to Commissioners for service needs. District 4 Commissioner Al Turner said the new fire station is excellent and has “beautiful street appeal.” Turner thanked Chief Jackson, County Manager Hedges, and former Commission Chairman Greg Tapley for their respective roles in making the new station a reality.
Oglethorpe Power President and CEO Annalisa Bloodworth then announced the donation of two sets of turnout gear for MCES firefighters. Chief Jackson said MCES is very appreciative of the donation, noting that turnout gear costs about $4,200 per firefighter, must be replaced at least every 10 years, and that MCES has 110 total firefighters on its roll.
Bloodworth said Oglethorpe Power has three of its Electric Membership Corporations, Central Georgia EMC, Southern Rivers Energy, and Flint Energies, that service Monroe County customers. She said Oglethorpe Power is proud to be able to donate land and “be part of a thriving Monroe County.” She also congratulated MCES on its 50th anniversary, noting that Oglethorpe Power just celebrated its own 50th anniversary last year.
Former MCES Chief Glenn Dorner was the keynote speaker at Friday’s Grand Opening. Dorner announced that his 430-page book on the history of Monroe County Emergency Services will soon be available for purchase at Barnes & Noble locations. Dorner has been working on the history book for nearly three years, making frequent trips back to his native Monroe County from his home near Seattle, Wash.
Dorner, who was one of the earliest volunteers of the fledgling Monroe County Fire Department in 1975. He credited four former Monroe County Commissioners, then-chairman Billy Harris, Joe Proctor, Hiram Harbuck, and Andy Dillon, with establishing the Monroe County Fire Department. Dorner said there was a shortage of equipment back then, and the equipment that the department did have in the early days often didn’t work properly. However, he said “a great spirit came out of that,” that has stuck with him for the rest of his life.
For about 20 minutes, Dorner detailed the history of MCES from the first fire chief, J.D. Belknap through the current chief, Jackson. All of the detailed information, which includes the establishment of the county’s first paramedic service in 1982 to an early 2000s grant that enabled the full department to have turnout gear, is available to learn about in Dorner’s soon-to-be-released history book.
Dorner said the past five years of MCES under Chief Jackson’s leadership have been “a substantial leap forward for MCES, which is further enhanced by the opening of the new Station 10.
At the conclusion of Dorner’s speech, MCES leaders and Monroe County Commissioners cut the ceremonial ribbon at the front bay of the new Station 10. The group then enjoyed finger foods provided by Chick Fil-A and toured the interior of the six-bedroom station.
The public is invited to an Open House to tour the new Station 10 in Smarr from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. this afternoon (Friday, March 7). Refreshments, a bounce house, public safety demonstrations, and various giveaways will be part of this afternoon’s festivities.
