By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Volunteer emergency staff in Jackson County to get insurance
Placeholder Image
JEFFERSON — The volunteer firefighters and first responders who aid Jackson County officials during emergencies risk their lives alongside county employees to keep residents safe.

And with recent approval from the Jackson County Commission, these volunteers will soon be covered under the county’s insurance plan.

John Hulsey, Jackson County’s finance director, explained to the commission at its meeting Monday that the county’s current worker’s compensation insurance policy only covers the paid and volunteer firefighters.

If first responders and other volunteers who are not covered by the policy injure themselves while responding to an emergency, the county has to pay their medical costs from the general fund.

But the new insurance policy would give volunteers assurance that any future injuries would be covered in the plan. The county would see a $4,000 increase in the cost of the policy, Hulsey said, to cover the roughly 200 firefighters and 50 first responders in the county.

The board approved the measure in a 4-0 vote Monday.

‘A weapon that we don’t understand’: Gainesville’s Bridging Hope part of pilot program on strangulation exams
04032025 BRIDGINGHOPE 3.jpg
An exam room inside Bridging Hope provides essential care for survivors of sexual assault and other traumatic events. The non-profit has received a grant for conducting strangulation exams for victims of domestic violence. - photo by Scott Rogers
Prosecuting strangulations since 1999, Sandra Partridge looks back on cases she’s handled and knows she would have acted differently.
Read this subscriber-exclusive story

Keep reading this and other subscriber-exclusive stories! Click the button below to choose your plan.

If you believe you have reached this message in error, ensure you have logged in and then contact our customer care team

Subscribe now