Fire Station 3, pictured Monday morning, now only houses Pafford EMS after fire service was moved to Fire Station 5 in July. Starkville Fire Department remains too short-staffed to operate all five of its stations. Paloma Green/ Dispatch Staff	
			STARKVILLE – Fire Station 5 opened in July for the first time in four years, but that does not mean the fire department is using all of its facilities.
In fact, Station 3 shut down to accommodate reopening Station 5, and the department is still nine firefighters short of having the capacity to operate all five of its dedicated stations.
What is the current status of the city’s fire stations? What is the plan for the future?
What is the current status of the fire stations?
The city still only has four Fire Stations with fire companies in them; Fire Station 1, 2, 4 and 5.
Last month the fire department quietly moved out of Station 3 and into Station 5, reopening the station for the first time since it closed in 2022. Fire Station 5 is located only two miles west of Fire Station 3 on Garrard Road.
In order to accommodate the change, the department added an engine company to Fire Station 1, which is now the only station with both a ladder and engine company.
Stations 1 and 2 operate with ladder companies, a group of firefighters who operate the large fire trucks with ladders and are often responsible for ventilation at the scene of a fire. Stations 1, 4 and 5 currently have engine companies, a group of firefighters who drive the smaller fire trucks that carry water.
But Station 3 is not fully closed. Though SFD moved operations out of Station 3 and into Station 5 in July, Pafford EMS is still operating out of Station 3 like it has for the last seven years.
With Pafford staying in the station, which it previously split with the fire department, the EMS service has taken over the utility bill that was previously paid by the city.
“We are just grateful to be able to take (the utilities) on and keep helping the city of Starkville out,” Todd Palmer, Pafford’s supervisor in Starkville, wrote in a text to The Dispatch. “We love working in the city (of) Starkville and have great partnership with the city.”
SFD’s move will have no impact on Pafford’s operations, and the company has no plans of expanding to fill the new space in the fire station as it has no need while only serving the city, Palmer said.
Pafford EMS also operates out of Station 4, which it still shares with the fire department.
Why not open all five fire stations?
In 2022, the fire department lost nine personnel, which resulted in it closing Station 5. The department has still not replaced those firefighters, which prevents it from operating all five fire stations, Fire Chief Dewayne Davis told The Dispatch.
“Even if we were to staff up, … I have no idea if the fire chief wants to open (Station) 3 again,” Spruill told The Dispatch. “It is my understanding that he prefers (Station) 5. It’s more comfortable. … It’s newer. It’s a superior quality station.”

			
			
				
				Dewayne Davis
				
			
			
				
				Lynn Spruill
				
		

To open all five stations, Davis said the department would need 63 firefighters. The department is currently budgeted for 54 this fiscal year, but Davis received permission to hire three new firefighters next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.
Davis said if he received six additional firefighters, he would open all five stations. But he has no plan to make that request, and there is currently no plan to return fire service to Station 3.
There was previous concern around high turnover in the department. While the department does still see some turnover mostly motivated by firefighters’ spouses getting jobs in new places, Davis said, he doesn’t consider it a current issue.
Why make the move to Fire Station 5?
The move to Station 5 decreases response times – an important metric to maintain the city’s Mississippi State Rating Bureau Class 3 fire rating – to the western part of the city, Davis told The Dispatch. The fire rating helps determine home insurance rates in a specific service area.
Pafford wants to remain in Fire Station 3 because of the station’s proximity to nursing homes which it receives frequent medical calls from, Palmer told The Dispatch.
Station 1, located about a two-mile drive south from Fire Station 3 on Lampkin Street, has taken over the eastern portion of Station 3’s old coverage zone – including Baptist Memorial Hospital-Oktibbeha County – and continues to cover Mississippi State University.
“(The shift) actually is going to provide a better service for the citizens,” Davis told The Dispatch.
Having a ladder and engine companies together in Station 1 gets the department more points from the Mississippi State Rating Bureau. But because the Mississippi State Rating Bureau evaluated the fire department last year, SFD won’t be reevaluated for another four to five years, Davis said.
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        Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.