The longstanding problem of single-person staffing at rural Kings County Fire Department stations would be partially addressed by the proposed 2016-2017 county budget.
The budget gets a final public hearing in August at the county Board of Supervisors, after which supervisors will vote on whether to approve it.
The budget proposes to hire six new entry-level firefighter positions at a cost of roughly $500,000 a year.
Those six additional firefighters would be enough to get two out of the four single-staffed stations up to two people on duty 24/7/365, according to Assistant Kings County fire Chief Rick Smith.
The four county stations that currently have one person on duty are Stratford, Island District, Hardwick and Burris Park.
Smith said officials are leaning toward adding staff to the Stratford and Hardwick stations first. He said those stations tend to experience higher call volumes.
County officials said the $500,000 cost will come out of a tax the county levies on hazardous waste revenue coming into the newly approved hazmat landfill at the Kettleman Hills facility operated by Chemical Waste Management.
The county receives 10 percent of what Chem Waste charges to store hazardous waste in the landfill, according to Rebecca Campbell, assistant county administrative officer.