Six people, including two volunteer fire department chiefs, have applied to be Warren County’s next fire coordinator.

Jerry Briggs, 35, chief of Culkin Volunteer Fire Department, and Robert Pell, 56, chief of LeTourneau Volunteer Fire Department, confirmed they sent applications to the Chancery Clerk’s Office before a Monday deadline.

The position has been vacant since former coordinator Kelly Worthy retired in May.

Along with the six, the Board of Supervisors will consider the application of Matthew Garrard, a Fisher Ferry volunteer firefighter and an emergency dispatcher, who applied in June before the post was advertised publicly.

The clerk’s office declined to name the remaining four applicants until the county board studies qualifications. State law mandates counties fill the position with a certified firefighter from a volunteer or municipal force. Chiefs of the Bovina, Fisher Ferry and Northeast districts had expressed no interest in the job in June. None returned phone messages late Monday.

The position to lead fire response outside Vicksburg will pay $32,796 annually, following a county board decision last week.

The fire chief function paid $21,500 during Worthy’s 20 years in the position. When the office was combined with that of the environmental officer — in charge of managing garbage pickup in the county — the dual-role position paid $42,796.

The environmental officer title and garbage-related field visits have been handed to the environmental clerk and the building permit field officer.

Salary was said to be a chief motivator for certified firefighters mulling the added role in the volunteer forces. In the end, it wasn’t enough to persuade Culkin assistant chief Trey Smith to add his name to the mix.

“The money just wasn’t enough for me to leave what I’m doing,” said Smith, who runs a welding and industrial supply business. “It’s what deterred me.”

Volunteer forces in the six protection fire districts total between 85 to 100, depending on the season. About 2 mills are tacked onto residential and commercial property tax bills in each district to finance each department.