Editor’s Note: Sunshine Request makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.
Other (indicate in message) Submitted: August 7, 2024 | Updated: August 29, 2024
(August 2024) Request for Brunswick County, NC Dispatch: Navassa Volunteer Fire Dept. total number of volunteers, paid positions, and current rate of pay. As of the present day.
Good evening NVFD, Meagan, Mack, Finance, (or Records Officer / Custodian(s) of these records),
The last time I attempted to contact [email protected] , that email address was not receiving messages. I’ve been advised that public records requests related to the Navassa Volunteer Fire Department may need to be submitted to “Brunswick County Dispatch”. However, I can’t find a direct email contact online for Brunswick County Dispatch or the Communications Center. It is unclear to me what the appropriate email address is I should use to submit my specific request, so I apologize for having to CC all of you for a response.
Please reply promptly to the following public records request, which I’m making in accordance with NC Public Records Law. https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bychapter/chapter_132.html
Please provide the total number of current / active “volunteers”, the total number of current / active “paid positions”, and the current "rate of pay" for the Navassa Volunteer Fire Department. As of the present day (on the date that the query is performed).
** I’m simply requesting an electronic copy of an electronic record, if one exists. I’m NOT asking for the opportunity to come in person to "inspect", nor to obtain a printed copy of, this electronic record. I’m requesting explicitly that any responsive info be provided to me via the electronic medium / electronic format (in which the copy of this record already exists). If you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of this request, please specifically cite where a reason for denial is justified under NC Public Records Law. **
————————————
Please note that by submitting this request, I’m NOT agreeing to pay any potential fees or associated costs related to my request. If it isn’t possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let me know the itemized potential cost and clear explanations of those charges upfront, and DO NOT proceed until I respond.
By Law I’m not required to provide a name or address to associate with a public records request, but in order to move things along I’d like to clarify that this request is being made by:
Sunshine Request
PO Box 17391
Asheville, NC 28816
The request has been sent solely by me and my email address [email protected] . If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from me. Please do not commingle or treat that as an alteration or cancellation of my request – I intend to continue to pursue my request.
Thank you for your assistance!
** Sunshine Request (www.sunshinerequest.com) makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.
Status: Government Denied Request
Activity:
-
August 29, 2024 6:53 pm
2 weeks ago
**08/29/24. Editor’s Note to Sender: As of this writing, the only public email address for the Navassa Volunteer Fire Department ([email protected]) doesn’t work. Since February 2024, any time we’ve attempted to contact that address we’ve received a bounce-back notice that says the address “does not exist” or “is not able to receive mail”. The NVFD hasn’t replied to any of our voicemails (related to past records requests) since February. It also seems that as of now they no longer have a voice mailbox set up, and their various Facebook pages don’t have Messenger enabled.
This afternoon we called the NVFD two times. In both instances the phone kept ringing with no answer, and we were never connected to a voice mailbox.
Having made all reasonable attempts to follow up on this August request, and having received no response from the NVFD at any point (as they don’t have a working email or voice mailbox), and since there seems to be no other way for us to get in touch with them remotely [we are located in Asheville, NC] — we will now mark this request as having been “Denied” by the Navassa Volunteer Fire Department.
** Please note that the request’s denial is specifically related to the NVFD’s inability to receive or respond to requests, and it is not the responsibility / fault of Brunswick County Government. The County did not deny our request.
We apologize for the inconvenience, and we encourage any future requestors to try to reach out the the NVFD directly via phone and Facebook. Or, you could also try mailing them a letter or going to their physical location in person for assistance with a records request. We have been advised (through various past request) it’s also possible that Brunswick County Dispatch or the Sheriff’s Office might be able to assist with certain requests related to the NVFD. However, this remains unclear.
Thank you for using Sunshine Request!
Status: Government Denied Request -
August 27, 2024 11:38 am
3 weeks ago
**08/27/24. Editor’s Note to Sender: This morning we called the NVFD three times. The phone line was busy each time, and we were never connected to an answering machine or voice mailbox. We will make one more attempt to call them again later this week. Any updates will be posted on our site.
Thank you for using Sunshine Request!
Status: Follow up -
August 20, 2024 5:37 pm
4 weeks ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Meagan Kascsak <[email protected]>
cc: Malcolm Smith <[email protected]>
date: Aug 20, 2024, 5:37 PM
subject: Re: Public records request. (August 2024) Request for Brunswick County, NC Dispatch: Navassa Volunteer Fire Dept. total number of volunteers, paid positions, and current rate of pay. As of the present day.Hi Meagan,
Thank you for clarifying.
I will try calling the NVFD at some point this week. If I do not receive a response, then at some point I will mark the request as having been “Denied” by (their) office.
Thank you for your help!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Response Received from Government -
August 20, 2024 5:09 pm
4 weeks ago
from: Meagan Kascsak <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
cc: Malcolm Smith <[email protected]>
date: Aug 20, 2024, 5:09 PM
subject: RE: Public records request. (August 2024) Request for Brunswick County, NC Dispatch: Navassa Volunteer Fire Dept. total number of volunteers, paid positions, and current rate of pay. As of the present day.Good afternoon,
I am sorry to hear you are still having trouble reaching the Navassa Volunteer Fire Department. We are not aware of another email address for this agency. Since this is not a county department/agency, we are not able to assist with record requests for their specific agency.
Sincerely,
Meagan Kascsak
Meagan Kascsak | Communications Director
Brunswick County Communications
30 Government Center Drive NE | PO Box 249 | Bolivia , NC 28422
Phone: 910-253-2995 | Fax: 910-253-2022
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.brunswickcountync.govE-mail correspondence to and from this address may be subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
Status: Response Received from Government -
August 15, 2024 3:47 pm
1 month ago
from: Meagan Kascsak <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Aug 15, 2024, 3:48 PM
subject: Automatic reply: Public records request. (August 2024) Request for Brunswick County, NC Dispatch: Navassa Volunteer Fire Dept. total number of volunteers, paid positions, and current rate of pay. As of the present day.Hello,
I am currently out of the office and will return on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.
For pressing media inquiries, please contact Communications Specialist Amber Merklinger at [email protected] or 910-253-2723.
If you are inquiring about criminal background checks/records, trial date information, traffic citations, wills, estates, divorce records, or other court-related matters, contact the Brunswick County Courthouse for assistance. Brunswick County Government does not have access to these records: 910-253-3900
Sincerely,
Meagan Kascsak
Brunswick County Communications Director
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Meagan Kascsak <[email protected]>
cc: Malcolm Smith <[email protected]>,
Finance <[email protected]>
date: Aug 15, 2024, 3:47 PM
subject: Re: Public records request. (August 2024) Request for Brunswick County, NC Dispatch: Navassa Volunteer Fire Dept. total number of volunteers, paid positions, and current rate of pay. As of the present day.Good afternoon Meagan,
Thank you for your suggestion to call and send a FB message to the NVFD. I actually have called that number several times in the past regarding a different request I tried to make. I never heard back. An alternate number I was given for someone named Minnie Brown (affiliated with NVFD) doesn’t receive voicemails. I was also told previously that the NVFD is a different entity and separate from the Town of Navassa, so I cannot submit a request related to the NVFD there.
I checked their Facebook pages, and NVFD doesn’t appear to have messaging enabled — so it isn’t possible to contact them that way. Their only email contact ([email protected]) is an account that doesn’t exist or can’t receive mail. It always bounces back. Their website (navassafire.com) is broken with a “maintenance” message across the screen.
I will call the NVFD again soon, but it’s very likely I won’t hear back. I suppose my only other option is to physically mail them a letter and try to get a response that way.
Before I try that, can you please let me know if you found alternate contact info (email) or who is responsible for fulfilling their records requests? Is that Brunswick County, County Dispatch, the Sheriff’s Office, etc? There must be some way for the public to contact the correct entity to get a simple request like mine fulfilled.
Thanks again for your help!
~The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
August 12, 2024 10:55 am
1 month ago
from: Meagan Kascsak <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
cc: “[email protected]” <[email protected]>, Malcolm Smith <[email protected]>, Finance <[email protected]>
date: Aug 12, 2024, 10:55 AM
subject: RE: Public records request. (August 2024) Request for Brunswick County, NC Dispatch: Navassa Volunteer Fire Dept. total number of volunteers, paid positions, and current rate of pay. As of the present day.Good afternoon,
I will check with my team to see if we have another email for this fire department, but I would recommend you either call the department at 910-371-9988 or try messaging them via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Navassa-Volunteer-Fire-Department-Station19/100025624994810/
Sincerely,
Meagan Kascsak
Meagan Kascsak | Communications Director
Brunswick County Communications
30 Government Center Drive NE | PO Box 249 | Bolivia , NC 28422
Phone: 910-253-2995 | Fax: 910-253-2022
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.brunswickcountync.govE-mail correspondence to and from this address may be subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
Status: Clarification Provided -
August 12, 2024 10:52 am
1 month ago
from: Mail Delivery Subsystem <[email protected]>
date: Aug 12, 2024, 10:53 AM
subject: Delivery Status Notification (Failure)Address not found
Your message wasn’t delivered to [email protected] because the address couldn’t be found, or is unable to receive mail.
The response was:
550 5.1.1 The email account that you tried to reach does not exist. Please try double-checking the recipient’s email address for typos or unnecessary spaces. For more information, go to https://support.google.com/
mail/?p=NoSuchUser d2e1a72fcca58- 710e58d5dd7sor3858960b3a.3 – gsmtp ———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
To: Meagan Kascsak <meagan.kascsak@brunswickcountync.gov>
Cc: “[email protected]” <[email protected]>, Malcolm Smith <malcolm.smith@brunswickcountync.gov>, Finance <[email protected] >
Bcc:
Date: Mon, 12 Aug 2024 10:52:48 -0400
Subject: Re: Public records request. (August 2024) Request for Brunswick County, NC Dispatch: Navassa Volunteer Fire Dept. total number of volunteers, paid positions, and current rate of pay. As of the present day.
—– Message truncated —–
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Meagan Kascsak <[email protected]>
cc: “[email protected]” <[email protected]>, Malcolm Smith <[email protected]>, Finance <[email protected]>
date: Aug 12, 2024, 10:52 AM
subject: Re: Public records request. (August 2024) Request for Brunswick County, NC Dispatch: Navassa Volunteer Fire Dept. total number of volunteers, paid positions, and current rate of pay. As of the present day.Hi Meagan,
Thank you for your message.
As I said – the contact info on your website (as well as the NVFD’s site) for the Navassa [Volunteer] Fire Department does not work. It has not worked for some months. The only email address online for NVFD, [email protected] , is an account that “does not exist” or “… is unable to receive mail.”
Can you please provide alternate email contact information for the NVFD or Brunswick County Dispatch? In the past, I’ve had a lot of difficulty getting in touch with NVFD (including by phone), and was told that Brunswick County Dispatch is who should be contacted. However, I cannot find any email contact info online them either.
I need the correct email contact info for whomever is the custodian(s) of salary data for the NVFD, and who will proceed to fulfill this records request.
Thanks in advance for your help!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Clarification Requested -
August 12, 2024 9:06 am
1 month ago
from: Meagan Kascsak <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>, “[email protected]” <[email protected]>
cc: Malcolm Smith <[email protected]>,
Finance <[email protected]>
date: Aug 12, 2024, 9:06 AM
subject: RE: Public records request. (August 2024) Request for Brunswick County, NC Dispatch: Navassa Volunteer Fire Dept. total number of volunteers, paid positions, and current rate of pay. As of the present day.Good morning,
Brunswick County Government would not have records for Fire Departments. You will need to reach out to the Fire Department in question about your request.
We have contact information including a phone number and the website for the Navassa Volunteer Fire Department on our website at https://www.brunswickcountync.gov/BusinessDirectoryII.aspx?lngBusinessCategoryID=41
Sincerely,
Meagan Kascsak
Meagan Kascsak | Communications Director
Brunswick County Communications
30 Government Center Drive NE | PO Box 249 | Bolivia , NC 28422
Phone: 910-253-2995 | Fax: 910-253-2022
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.brunswickcountync.govE-mail correspondence to and from this address may be subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
Status: Clarification Provided -
August 7, 2024 8:24 pm
1 month ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Meagan Kascsak <[email protected]>
cc: [email protected], [email protected]
date: Aug 7, 2024, 8:24 PM
subject: Re: Public records request. (August 2024) Request for Brunswick County, NC Dispatch: Navassa Volunteer Fire Dept. total number of volunteers, paid positions, and current rate of pay. As of the present day.Hi All,
Following up on my last message.
The bounceback notice I just received from [email protected] says that “The email account that you tried to reach does not exist” or “… is unable to receive mail.”
I want to bring this to your attention again, as this issue has persisted for several months — and since, that address is still currently listed as the only email contact info for NVFD.
https://www.brunswickcountync.gov/BusinessDirectoryII.aspx?lngBusinessCategoryID=41Thank you for your help!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
August 7, 2024 8:16 pm
1 month ago
from: Mail Delivery Subsystem <[email protected]>
date: Aug 7, 2024, 8:16 PM
subject: Delivery Status Notification (FailureAddress not found
Your message wasn’t delivered to [email protected] because the address couldn’t be found, or is unable to receive mail.
The response was:
550 5.1.1 The email account that you tried to reach does not exist. Please try double-checking the recipient’s email address for typos or unnecessary spaces. For more information, go to https://support.google.com/
mail/?p=NoSuchUser d2e1a72fcca58- 710cb305550sor225363b3a.11 – gsmtp ———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Cc: Meagan Kascsak <meagan.kascsak@brunswickcountync.gov>, malcolm.smith@brunswickcountyn c.gov, [email protected]
Bcc:
Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2024 20:16:05 -0400
Subject: Public records request. (August 2024) Request for Brunswick County, NC Dispatch: Navassa Volunteer Fire Dept. total number of volunteers, paid positions, and current rate of pay. As of the present day.
—– Message truncated —–
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: [email protected]
cc: Meagan Kascsak <[email protected]>, [email protected], [email protected]
date: Aug 7, 2024, 8:16 PM
subject: Public records request. (August 2024) Request for Brunswick County, NC Dispatch: Navassa Volunteer Fire Dept. total number of volunteers, paid positions, and current rate of pay. As of the present day.Good evening NVFD, Meagan, Mack, Finance, (or Records Officer / Custodian(s) of these records),
The last time I attempted to contact [email protected] , that email address was not receiving messages. I’ve been advised that public records requests related to the Navassa Volunteer Fire Department may need to be submitted to “Brunswick County Dispatch”. However, I can’t find a direct email contact online for Brunswick County Dispatch or the Communications Center. It is unclear to me what the appropriate email address is I should use to submit my specific request, so I apologize for having to CC all of you for a response.
Please reply promptly to the following public records request, which I’m making in accordance with NC Public Records Law. https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bychapter/chapter_132.html
Please provide the total number of current / active “volunteers”, the total number of current / active “paid positions”, and the current “rate of pay” for the Navassa Volunteer Fire Department. As of the present day (on the date that the query is performed).
** I’m simply requesting an electronic copy of an electronic record, if one exists. I’m NOT asking for the opportunity to come in person to “inspect”, nor to obtain a printed copy of, this electronic record. I’m requesting explicitly that any responsive info be provided to me via the electronic medium / electronic format (in which the copy of this record already exists). If you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of this request, please specifically cite where a reason for denial is justified under NC Public Records Law. **
————————————Please note that by submitting this request, I’m NOT agreeing to pay any potential fees or associated costs related to my request. If it isn’t possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let me know the itemized potential cost and clear explanations of those charges upfront, and DO NOT proceed until I respond.
By Law I’m not required to provide a name or address to associate with a public records request, but in order to move things along I’d like to clarify that this request is being made by:
Sunshine Request
PO Box 17391
Asheville, NC 28816The request has been sent solely by me and my email address [email protected] . If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from me. Please do not commingle or treat that as an alteration or cancellation of my request – I intend to continue to pursue my request.
Thank you for your assistance!
** Sunshine Request (www.sunshinerequest.com) makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.
Status: Sent to Government -
August 7, 2024 8:11 pm
1 month ago
Submitted to Sunshine Request
Status: Pending