Rating Impacted As VFD In Northern Tuscaloosa County Struggles With Staffing Shortage

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Wiley Volunteer Fire Department in northern Tuscaloosa County recently saw its Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating negatively impacted as the department struggles with staffing shortages.

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Indeed, with only three volunteers at present, Acting Chief Amelia Willcutt told Patch that the departments ISO rating fell to a 10 — primarily due to the fact that the department does not have the staffing to ensure that at least four volunteers are on call 24-hours a day.

Put simply, the new rating will cause homeowners insurance rates to rise for those in the coverage area, with the ratings based on the ability of the closest fire department to combat a house fire.

Willcutt explained that while ISO ratings rely heavily on the number of bodies available to answer calls, the recent downgrade received by the department was not indicative of its equipment or the availability of hydrants in its coverage area. It simply comes down to staffing.

"The fact there’s not too many residents and the population density does have some to do with it," Willcutt said of the staffing shortages. "And a lot of people are afraid to try. I was afraid when I started. I was scared for a whole month. But it’s not like you’re going to fight a fire every day."

Considering present staffing issues, it's worth noting that the call volume for the Wiley Volunteer Fire Department is comparatively low when looking at other nearby agencies such as Samantha, Yellow Creek or Carroll's Creek.

However, there remains a need to have boots on the ground in the event of an emergency.

As Patch previously reported, a small plane crashed in the Wiley community in August 2022 that, fortunately, did not result in any injuries. However, the event underscored the range of possibilities faced by a short-staffed department in a sparsely populated rural community.

"The main thing we need is more volunteers," Willcutt said. "If it's a volunteer fire department, a lot of people work during the day and having four people any time of day or night means you're definitely going to have more than four volunteers."

Partly in an effort to generate interest, a public meeting will be held at the fire department on Monday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. The annual meeting will also see the election of board members and the department's chief.

The department is located on Wilcutt Road just off of Alabama Highway 69.

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