Before July 2024, Chatham County did not operate its own fire department.

Those duties were handled by municipal and volunteer departments as well as Chatham Emergency Services (CES), which was funded through fees paid by property owners. Around one-third of property owners stopped paying.

CES had financial issues, and the county established a special fire service district to fund their partnership with a fire protection tax. The county replaced that with the now-illegal Fire Protection Service Fee. The county established its own fire department in July 2024, a month after changing the fee and incorporating it into the district’s millage rate.

Read more at WTOC11.