Marty Gordon
An estimated 30-40 percent of Christiansburg Fire Department’s calls are outside the town limits, and its leaders are expressing concern over how much it is costing the town.
In the latest numbers from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, the fire department answered 477 calls in the county. That compares to 724 in the town.
During a joint work session with the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors this past week, a plan was unveiled where the county would reimburse the town for a large chunk of those service calls. The amount of coverage is similar when it comes to rescue calls into those unincorporated areas.
The proposed amount would be around $1.8 million annually with the funding being based on population and the number of calls for service in a given fiscal year. The total amount could change depending on the number of calls.
The formula was recommended by County Administrator Angie Hill and Christiansburg Town Manager Dr. Kim Eagle.
“We are in agreement with this formula plan,” both told the joint meeting.
The next step is for both the council and board to accept the measure.
Councilwoman Johana Hicks has been pushing for this type of funding support for several years, saying the county needed to pay its fair share. She said this is a good start.
The discussion comes two months after the release of a countywide fire service that called for more fire stations, three to be exact.
A 10-month, 359-page study conducted by MissionCIT shows the county and its towns
will also need additional staffing as the population increases, exacerbated by a dwindling number of volunteers.
Montgomery County has a current estimated population of approximately 101,200
residents. According to long-term projections by the UVA Weldon Cooper Center for
Public Service, the county’s steady growth is expected to continue over the coming
decades.
The 2030 projection is for 105,300 residents with that number growing to as high as
127,000 by 2050.
With the continued growth, the study shows the county will need to address the need for more services like fire and rescue.
The study recommended building as many as three more fire/rescue stations in the county with locations on Peppers Ferry Road, Radford Road and Roanoke Street.
Already, the county has taken a step forward in establishing the Montgomery County Emergency Services Department, which included hiring paid staff for several of the current county sites.
In July, Frank Edwards, MissionCIT’s senior director, told county leaders that a shrinking volunteer workforce also necessitates professional staffing to maintain service levels.
The report includes strategic recommendations for improving the current volunteer-
career model and overall service effectiveness, possibly hiring an individual to handle the future recruitment.
Edwards said the study emphasizes the importance of expanding fire and EMS
infrastructure to meet future demands.
“The county must consider the needs versus what is currently in place,” Edwards said.
The study also suggested the county and surrounding towns look into a “fire levy,”
which would provide monies for future fire and EMS needs.
Some fire levies also deal directly with insurance companies. Supervisors admitted this
was something to look further into as they progress through the study. Currently, a similar insurance reimbursement is used in Christiansburg for rescue service calls.
