Butts County will be a safe and secure community with the best in public safety services. The well-being of our citizens is paramount as we give full support and encouragement to quality health care options and education excellence for the people of Butts County as our community grows.

Our department is an arm of the overall public safety matrix of Butts County, providing the functions of Ambulance/EMS, Fire and Fire Marshal Services, as well as the local Office of Emergency Management.

The Department provides Fire and EMS coverage through a total matrix of six stations throughout the County, including one headquarters office, two Fire stations and three Fire/EMS combo stations. As of 2023, Fire Headquarters for the Department is located on South Mulberry Street adjacent to the City Court and across from the Jackson Police Station. 

We provide three frontline EMS units on duty 24 hours a day, and a fourth unit during peak times, posted in the areas which receive the greatest call volume. Additionally, a fully equipped Paramedic rescue vehicle backs up all three units, responding wherever needed in the county and carries the same equipment as an ambulance. All of our frontline units have been paid for by SPLOST funds. We also maintain backup units which our management personnel can staff if needed. Our ambulance to citizen ratio is one of the best in the state, with one ambulance for every 8000 citizens.

Our personnel are cross trained and certified as both firefighters and at least one level of medical response, including First Responder, EMT or Paramedic level. Since the first full time County firefighter was hired in 1984, the department has grown from one employee to over 40. This growth in fire services over the past 40 years has resulted in a tremendous drop in fire insurance ratings, the savings of which to the individual homeowner each year far outweighing the total cost of the fire department to the taxpayer. We operate a full time fire engine at Worthville, Jenkinsburg, Colwell Road and Indian Springs, in additional to flexible staffing of the Stark engine. We also pay the City of Jackson nearly a quarter million dollars a year to provide fire engine coverage for the city and surrounding unincorporated county.

Our goal as a department is to provide the citizens of Butts County with services that protect life, property and our environment. Whether our service is provided as a medical EMS call, a fire related call or in response to a natural or manmade disaster, we strive to serve with professionalism and compassion in all that we do. I am very proud of the quality men and women that made up this department, who answered the call to service and who watch over our citizens night and day. If we can be of help to you, please let us know. In addition to emergency response, we also provide a number of services towards public education, school safety, fire safety, CPR and much more. Let me know how we can be of service to you.

Sincerely,

Chief Wesley Johnston
Director of Emergency Services

Major Functions include:

• Emergency Medical Services & EMS Billing
• Emergency Management & Homeland Security
• Fire Department
• Fire Marshal’s Office & Fire Inspections
• Fire Safety Education and Training