South Fork firefighters threaten to walk off job unless department changes are made

LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – After a deadly fire and being placed on probation, some local firefighters say they’re ready to walk off the job until changes are made.

Last month, two people died in an early morning house fire in Lincoln County, and then last week, the fire marshal placed the South Fork Volunteer Fire Department on a 30-day probation

for improper reporting.

The probation began Aug. 18, the same day as a board meeting where 14 firefighters were willing to walk off the job until changes were made. Queen City News spoke with one of the firefighters on the phone, who asked to stay anonymous.

The firefighter said the reports are supposed to be filled out 20 minutes after a call – and they date back to 2024. We’re also told that morale has gone downhill recently – and there is no oversight or performance evaluation of a chief who has “checked out.”

They’re asking Chief Jackie Smith to step down from the position – and firefighters could still walk off the job at any moment. An immediate plan is in place to cover the area, but it would also mean the department and board would dissolve and be restructured.

John Dancoff is a battalion chief with the Denver Fire Department – but he got his start here at South Fork. He was the chief from 2014 to 2017.

“With a volunteer department, you’re essentially on call 24-7,” Dancoff said.

Dancoff said manpower was always a concern, even then.

“I wish there was an easy solution, but I don’t know what the situation is,” Dancoff said. “You really hope for the best of the community – they figure it out, but you also hope for the best of the fire department that you came up in, that they figure it out.”

Queen City News has tried multiple ways to contact Chief Smith for comment, including phone calls, emails, and leaving business cards behind at the department. The only information we have received second-hand is to ask the fire marshal related to the fatal July fire.

The next public meeting is in September, a few days before the 30-day probation ends.