Rescue squad building repurposed as EMA annex
RUSSELLVILLE — The former Franklin County Rescue Squad building is being renovated as an annex for the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency.
Located behind the Franklin County Archives in downtown Russellville, the building is owned by the county.
EMA Director Mary Glass said the facility will store the agency’s boat and Hummer and other vehicles they use infrequently. “It’s just where we’re going to keep our resources,” Glass said.
County Administrator Leah Mansell said the county officially took ownership of the building in December 2024 after the Franklin County Rescue Squad was disbanded.
Former Franklin County Rescue Squad President John W.M. “Pete” Brackin Jr. was arrested in 2022 after an audit revealed missing funds of more than $13,000. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department reported Brackin had used the funds to purchase items not intended to be used for the rescue squad.
Mansell said the vehicles left from the Franklin County Rescue Squad are inoperable and the county commission approved them for sale on GovDeals. Those vehicles include a Sun Tracker Party Barge 21DL pontoon boat, a 12-foot fiberglass skiff (brand thought to be Ebbtide – manufacturer’s plate missing) and a 12-foot Ebbtide skiff.
The money from the sale of these vehicles will go into the county’s general fund, which the EMA department falls under.
Glass said the county has put a new roof on the building and is working on fixing electrical issues to get the building into code compliance. The repairs are being paid for out of the EMA budget.
Mansell said the current EMA budget is $191,660.
Greg Hovater, county commissioner for District 2, said renovating the old building location made sense.
“It’s easily accessible and provides a central location,” Hovater said of the facility, noting it will “have to be rewired pretty much completely.”
“I’m just taking a stab at it now, but I’m going to say probably in the $7,000 to $8,000 range, something like that,” Hovater said of the possible cost.
Glass said future work on the building will be done as time and money permit, adding some painting may take soon take place.
“We’re working on fixing it up as we can,” she said.
County Probate Judge Barry Moore said the building will be a “great asset” for the county once the work is completed. He added EMA officials will determine which vehicles will be stored in the building.
