BULLOCH COUNTY, Ga. () — The Bulloch County Fire Department (BCFD) held a graduation Friday afternoon to welcome 11 new firefighters to their team.

“This is a big deal,” said Fire Chief Ben Tapley. “They get their firefighting helmet today.”

The men and women behind those helmets almost fill up the remainder of paid positions that the county has to fill.

The department ended an agreement with the city of Statesboro that had them tag-team fires within the 5-mile district surrounding the city for half a century. 

“We’re up to the task,” said Tapley. “We’re going to start answering calls July 1 at midnight.”

They’ve opened three stations across the county in the months leading up to the deadline. Tapley said they’ve had to get creative to make it happen, pairing fire up with EMS, expanding volunteer stations and even turning a family home into a fully equipped firefighting hub.

“As we’re growing now, even if I had people, I would have to get other stations available to house people,” said Tapley.

He says even though they’ve filled their positions, they still have dozens of applications to join their team.

“Seeing the apparatus that we’re buying, the stations that we’re opening, people get excited about that,” said Tapley

He says after their graduating class, they still have seven positions left to fill to bring their staff up to their goal of 37.