BULLOCH COUNTY, Ga. () — The Bulloch County Fire Department (BCFD) held a graduation Friday afternoon to welcome 11 new firefighters to their team.

“This is a big deal,” said Fire Chief Ben Tapley. “They get their firefighting helmet today.”

The men and women behind those helmets almost fill up the remainder of paid positions that the county has to fill.

The department concluded a longstanding partnership with the city of Statesboro, which involved collaborating on firefighting efforts within a 5-mile radius around the city for 50 years.

“We’re up to the task,” said Tapley. “We’re going to start answering calls July 1 at midnight.”

In preparation for the transition, three new stations have been launched throughout the county in the months preceding the deadline. Tapley explained that innovative solutions were necessary, including integrating fire services with EMS, enlarging volunteer facilities, and converting a residential home into a fully operational firefighting center.

“As we’re growing now, even if I had people, I would have to get other stations available to house people,” said Tapley.

He says even though they’ve filled their positions, they still have dozens of applications to join their team.

“Seeing the apparatus that we’re buying, the stations that we’re opening, people get excited about that,” said Tapley

He says after their graduating class, they still have seven positions left to fill to bring their staff up to their goal of 37.