CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. - A stack of personnel records obtained by First Coast News provides some detail about why almost half of the department quit, retired, or were fired in 2015 and 2016.
"When you're losing that kind of experience, it puts your citizens at risk," said one current firefighter who asked to remain anonymous.
The department employees 105 people.
Firefighters we spoke to for this story say the turnover rate compromises their chances of keeping the community safe.
"Those of us who have been there 10, 15, 20 years, we know the county, we know roads, we've been in house fires, we know how fire burns," the firefighter said.
Some resignation letters obtained by First Coast News raise concerns about the department.
One said, "I've seen this department regress instead of grow," while another praised the department saying they "feel honored to have served."
A former firefighter who asked to remain anonymous told us he didn't believe county residents should feel safe with the department.
"When we would go to the scene of a fire, there were times my partner may have one month of experience, if that," he said. "Having a partner with no experience, I don't feel safe."
The county's top managers say high turnover is a product of many employees using the department as a pass through.
"They use it as a stepping stone, unfortunately," said human resources director Katie Howard. "They go to the base, or [the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department], or Clay, or Nassau. They return to those areas with a bigger community where there's a larger tax digest and ultimately higher compensation."
According to Howard, nationally, the average turnover rate is between 10 percent and 20 percent for fire rescue.
At one point last year, a graph she provided shows Camden's turnover rate often higher than the national average. Year to date, however, Howard says the turnover rate is down to 5 percent.
"With this kind of turnover and attrition rate we have, you're sort of stuck in first gear sometimes, always doing basic training because you have so many new people," said Fire Chief Mark Crews.