By Dewey Terrill
JC Post
Firefighting is being removed from the job description of Geary County Sheriff’s Deputies. Sheriff Daniel Jackson Jr. told a town hall meeting the Department is a governmental entity and part of a larger governmental entity….Geary County. “We are subject to all the labor laws that go along with being a governmental agency that employs people. “If we told an employee they are required to go into a burning building and put the fire out we are required by law to ensure he has the required training and certifications to safely accomplish that mission.”
Jackson added he would also argue that he has a responsibility to the employee and the citizens of the county to make sure all the employees are trained and certified to do the dangerous job that they do. “Our deputies are not and never have been trained and certified as firefighters, that’s the cold hard truth.” Jackson said there is no way the Department can maintain their certification as a law enforcement officer and get them qualified to serve as a firefighter. He noted there is not enough time in the week or funds in the budget to make that occur.
Deputies will still continue to perform first responder duties. For example they would still enter a 
burning building to save someone, but will not be there to fight fires. Jackson referred to the old job description. “If one of my Deputies were to take that job description literally and enter a structure fire, and try to fight that fire and die in the process, or citizens died because of his untrained efforts that would be on me and on the county. The liability with failing to train an employee for a job he is required to do is not something the Department or the County could stand.”
Jackson said the Geary County Rural Fire Department and the volunters that man that Department are a vital piece of of the county’s public safety, but they’re volunteers not governed by the laws that apply to the County and the Sheriff’s Department. “The Deputies will still respond as they always have to any fire that occurs and do what any other law enforcement officer would do to save a life. If they get there first and there’s someone inside the house they will of course risk their life and go inside that house to try to get the person out.” Deputies, however, will no longer grab a hose and fight the fire.
Jackson said he met with Rural Fire Chief Garry Berges, the members of the Geary County Commission, the County Counselor, and the County HR and they all agreed with his decision to remove the firefighting requirement from the Deputy job description.
Jackson touched on a number of other topics during the town hall meeting at the Four-H / Senior Citizen Center ranging from the introduction of his command staff to a move to increase the number corrections officers working in the jail. He also indicated he would conduct more town hall meetings in the future.