Local firefighters rally community support

Black Mountain Professional FireFighters IAFF LOcal 5246 HOld Demonstration in Town Square

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
June 8, 2026

Members of the Black Mountain Professional Fire Fighters IAFF Local 5246, and supporters, hold signs, June 7, in a demonstration in Town Square. Photo by Fred McCormick

A demonstration of local firefighters and supporters, June 7, in Black Mountain Town Square rallied public support for first responders.

The gathering, organized by the Black Mountain Local 5246 chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), followed a public safety advisory, issued, June 4, by the union’s executive board.

Representing personnel within the Black Mountain Fire Department, the IAFF Local 5246 cited a “critical infrastructure deficit” as its primary concern.

“Despite repeated warnings and professional assessments, the Town’s current and past leadership has failed to authorize operational budgets that ensure a safe, functional and modern emergency response,” the statement read.

The president of the local union chapter, Cameron Bradley, has been employed with the Black Mountain Fire Department for over a decade, and a full-time firefighter with the organization for three years. While department personnel, which were relocated, last March, from the main station, due to building safety concerns, are adapting to challenges, the demonstration on the intersection in the center of town was intended to raise public awareness, according to the union leader.

Cameron Bradley, president of the Black Mountain Local Firefighters Union 5246, leads a demonstration, June 7, rallying support for local first responders. Photo by Fred McCormick

“We want the community to ask why we’re out here, and our biggest concern at the moment is our potential pay gap, if the town council does not accept the budget that was presented last week,” he said.

Facing a nearly $1.9 million deficit in the general fund, Black Mountain elected officials are considering potential reductions in spending. While a proposal by interim town manager Richard Hicks, presented June 4, recommended eliminating or freezing multiple positions within the Black Mountain government, the plan also included salary adjustments for the fire department.

The administrator suggested annual raises of $10,000 for 15 Black Mountain firefighters and engineers, while proposing a $5,000 increase in salary for six lieutenants within the department. Three battalion chiefs, the deputy chief, fire inspector and chief would all receive a 3% adjustments if the proposal is adopted by elected leaders before the 2026-27 fiscal year, which begins July 1.

“Richard Hicks seems to understand public safety, maybe more than administrators in the past,” Bradley said. “He’s done a really good job of portraying, multiple times, that if something isn’t done about salaries, this town may not have firefighters.”

Of the 19 fire departments within Buncombe County, starting salaries with the BMFD, at approximately $48,500 per year, are the lowest, according to Bradley.

Black Mountain firefighters advocate for salary adjustments, June 7, during a demonstration in Town Square. Photo by Fred McCormick

“They’re the lowest now and they will still be, even if these recommendations are adopted,” he said. “We have a lot of positivity and good leadership within our department. We come to work, do an excellent job and care about our community, and that keeps people here. But, most of us work shifts at other departments, where we could potentially go, full-time and make more money.”

The proposed salary adjustments, he added, would allow the BMFD to remain competitive with other agencies throughout the county.

“We’re comparable now, but in July, if they don’t accept these recommendations, we will no longer be comparable,” Bradley said.

While additional issues, including an aging equipment fleet and substandard facility conditions, present additional challenges for local firefighters, according to the Black Mountain Professional Firefighters Local 5246, adequate compensation is the top priority.

“We need a functional fire station, so that is a priority, as well,” Bradley said. “But, we are all sensible, and we understand, as a town, we are facing a deficit, and fixing that building is a lot of money. We can wait on that, and even though our aging fleet is a concern, we can wait on that, too. However, if we don’t get our pay, then we might not have to worry about any of that anymore.”

Local firefighters rally community support, June 7, while advocating for competitive salaries. Photo by Fred McCormick

Local firefighters, he added, are grateful for community support, including the use of the Black Mountain Presbyterian Church parsonage, which currently serves as residential quarters for first responders.

“We included that in our public safety advisory, because we are not sleeping in that station,” Bradley said. “Thankfully, the church is allowing us to use their building, but there is a delay in our response time. In the middle of the night, when there is a call, we have to get up, hop in a pickup truck, drive to the station, open the bay door, get dressed and get in a truck. That’s seconds that can matter in an emergency.”

Those conditions impact the morale within the department, he added.

“We’re firefighters, so naturally we are put in terrible situations, and we always try to make the best of it,” Bradley said. “We’re doing the same thing here, but we’re all in this together. If our brotherhood wasn’t so strong, then who knows how we would respond to all this?”