Fulton hiring back 5 firefighters, 1 captain

A half-dozen Fulton County firefighters who lost their jobs in October are coming back to work in early February, officials said.

Fulton County laid off 33 firefighters last fall because of budget concerns. But thanks to several retirements and financial moves by county officials, six are coming back to work, said firefighters union spokesman Wayne Hines.

“We’re just so happy to bring these guys back,” Hines said Sunday. “We’ve got these six in the pipelines to come back and, hopefully, all 33 will be back by the end of the year.”

Hines said five of the six men are returning firefighters, and one is a captain. They will undergo physicals and background checks to make sure they didn’t get into legal trouble while they were out of work, and go through an orientation Feb. 4-5.

Getting the six back to work is just a start, Hines said.

“We need all of them back and then some,” he said. “There is a possibility that three more will soon follow.”

Hines credited Fulton County Manager Zachary Williams and assistant County Manager Roberto Hernandez, working with the Board of Commissioners, with making the returns possible.

“They got the six back by balancing the budget and not dipping into savings,” Hines said. “They’ve done pretty darn good by us.”

Fulton County officials could not be reached for comment Sunday.