For years Okeechobee fire and rescue workers have answered the call and raced into eastern Glades County when crisis arises. This happened last year some 240 times, all free of charge.

Now that may be ending.

The Glades County Fire Department is made up mostly of volunteers a handful of full-time career staff. That's why neighboring Okeechobee has been making so many runs into Glades.

David Hazellief, the chairman of the Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners told commissioners in Glades recently, that Okeechobee really should get compensated.

"We want to be good neighbors, you know," Hazellief said at a budget workshop in Glades, "and we've shared services back and forth. But at this point, we probably need to be compensated for the service that we will provide to you."

The Glades commissioners were told that the county would need to pay Okeechobee roughly $650,000 to continue having Okeechobee step in for calls around the Buckhead Ridge area.

Though that figure could change pending further review, it dwarfs in comparison to the millions it would cost to build a station around Lake Okeechobee, outfit the station with trucks and equipment and hire two full-time firefighters and two full-time EMS workers.

Glades County commission chairman Tim Stanley called the $650,000 pitch from the neighbors a good deal.

"I can't blame Okeechobee for coming [here] and wanting [to be paid] because they are the only fire protection and ambulance service that we have on that end of the county," Stanley said. "I mean they respond, but their citizens are paying this right now, and they're coming out and doing ours for free. I'm sure if their citizens found out that we were getting free service, they wouldn’t be very happy.”

The matter will likely be addressed again at future budget workshops.

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