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(Photo | Alex Kielar) Malcolm Bufkin was officially appointed as Stephens County Fire Marshal last Monday, June 23 at the latest regular Stephens County Commissioners’ Court meeting and was sworn in by County Judge Michael Roach. The court also approved a $5,000 yearly stipend for the role.
Malcolm Bufkin was officially appointed as the Stephens County Fire Marshal last week by the Stephens County Commissioners Court. The appointment comes following the City of Breckenridge approving an interlocal agreement between them and the county last month regarding the work.
After the court appointed Bufkin to the position Monday morning, June 23, he was later sworn in by Stephens County Judge Michael Roach that afternoon.
As fire marshal, Bufkin will continue to wear many hats in the community between the city and the county. He will handle the fire marshal duties while continuing to serve as the Breckenridge Fire Department fire chief.
“Basically, it’s everything that I have been doing anyway, but this just makes it official,” Bufkin told the Breckenridge American after the appointment.
Bufkin had come back to the BFD as the fire chief in 2022 after then-Fire Chief Calvin Chaney’s retirement. Before that, Bufkin had served for the department for 28 years and had retired. Chaney had also served as the county fire marshal during his stint as fire chief. When Bufkin came back, Constable Wayne McMullen had taken on the additional role as fire marshal. With McMullen’s death in April, the position has been vacant since then.
Concerning the appointment, the Breckenridge City Commission had previously approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the county and city. Specified in the agreement is that any city duties will take precedence as far as scheduling, inspections, investigations and emergency response.
Duties defined in the memorandum for Bufkin are:
- Fire Investigation – Investigate the origin and cause of fires in unincorporated areas. Prepare reports and work with law enforcement when criminal activity is suspected.
- Burn Ban Oversight – Monitor weather and drought conditions and make recommendations to the commissioners court regarding burn bans. Educate the public on restrictions and issue citations if necessary.
- Coordination and Volunteer Fire Departments – Serve as liaison between the county and local volunteer fire departments. Support inter-agency coordination and planning for rural response.
As part of the approval of appointing Bufkin to fire marshal, the commissioners court also approved a $5,000 annual stipend for the extra duties.
