Fire Service Board

Established in 1986 to provide for the improvement, advancement and development of fire services in Berkeley County, the Berkeley County Fire Service Board Inc., is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors comprised of three (3) fire service personnel, three (3) county citizens and one member of the Berkeley County Commission. Fire service personnel appointed to the Board are from different Fire Districts of the County and citizens appointed to the Board are from different Magisterial Districts of the County. Board members are appointed to serve three-year terms and are limited to serving two terms. Appointed by the Berkeley County Commission, Fire Service Board members are sworn in by the Berkeley County Clerk or his/her designee.

Board Members:
 
Adam Mauck - Chair (Fire Service)
Christopher Williams - Vice-Chair (Citizen)
Jack M. Spencer - (Citizen)
Kevin L. Starliper - (Citizen)
Phillip Barrow - (Fire Service)
William Sions - (Fire Service)
Eddie Gochenour - (County Commission Representative)

Meeting Schedule:

The Board of Directors for Berkeley County Fire Service Board Inc. meets on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM to conduct regular business. The monthly meetings are held in the County Commission Chambers on the Second Floor of the County Administration Building at 400 West Stephen Street in Martinsburg.

Fire Service Board By-Laws

Fire Fee Ordinance (Effective July 1, 2024)

Fire Fees:

Residential: Current Fire Fees for Berkeley County residences are based upon the square footage of each habitable structure in Berkeley County. The fire service fee shall be due and payable on or before September 30 each year. If the year's fire service fee is not paid on or before September 30, the amount due increases by 50% of the original billed amount. If the year's fire service fee is still unpaid at as of December 31, the amount due increases by 100% of the original billed amount on January 1.

Non-Residential: For Non-Residential Buildings, the fire service fee is $.07 per square foot. This fire service fee may be satisfied in two equal installments. The first installment shall be due and payable, on or before, September 30 each year and the second installment shall be due and payable, on or before, April 30 each year. Annual fire service fees not paid in full on, or before, April 30 of each year are subject to contractual interest at the rate of 10%, which will accrue from May 1 of that year until the date payment is made. 

 Supported Volunteer Fire & Rescue Departments

  The Berkeley County Fire Service Board provides financial support for volunteer fire stations and substations in Berkeley County, West Virginia. These stations are managed and operated by the five (5) Volunteer Fire & Rescue Companies in Berkeley County.

 
These stations are dispersed throughout Berkeley County so that vital pieces of emergency equipment are ready for service when an emergency arises. The Volunteer Fire and Rescue Companies respond to fires, vehicle accidents, industrial and commercial accidents, special rescues, emergency medical service calls, and provide other vital services to the community and citizens of Berkeley County too numerous to list.

West Virginia Forest Fire Laws

Fire Laws

It is your responsibility to actively tend to any controlled outside burning. You are to never leave these fires unattended. Remember, if you initiate a controlled outside burning, you may be responsible for any damages or services rendered by the fire service in the event the controlled burn gets "out of control."

Before burning, please call the Berkeley County Department of Emergency Communications 
 Central Dispatch non-emergency line at (304) 263-1330.