WCSO, Firefighters Union to Hold Public Bargaining Session November 18
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office and the union behind Walton County Fire Rescue’s career firefighters will hold a collective bargaining session open to the public on Wednesday, November 18, at 10:00 a.m. WCFR is the division of the sheriff’s office that answers fire and ambulance calls for the City of Freeport.
The session is set for Wednesday, November 18, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. CST in the Sheriff’s Office Human Resources building at 3590 US Highway 331 S in DeFuniak Springs, according to the notice the agency posted Friday. The bargaining pairs the Walton County Sheriff’s Office with the Professional Firefighters of Walton County, Local 4413 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, and the meeting is open to any resident who wants to sit in.
Local 4413 represents the firefighters and paramedics of Walton County Fire Rescue, the county’s combined fire and EMS agency. WCFR has operated under the sheriff’s office since 2017, when Walton County commissioners handed fire rescue responsibilities to Sheriff Michael Adkinson and the agency became one of only two in Florida running a combined law enforcement and professional fire rescue operation. For Freeport, WCFR provides fire suppression and emergency medical services for the city and the unincorporated areas north of Choctawhatchee Bay, answering calls out of Station 12 on Washington Street and Station 5 on J W Hollington Road.
The November gathering continues a regular cadence of bargaining between the agency and the union. The sheriff’s office noticed similar public sessions for September 18 and October 28, both held in the north administrative conference room at its DeFuniak Springs headquarters. Collective bargaining sets the contract terms — pay, benefits, staffing and working conditions — for the crews who answer emergency calls across the county.
The sheriff’s office said it adheres to the Americans with Disabilities Act and will make reasonable modifications for access to the meeting upon request. Residents who need an accommodation can contact the Human Resources Manager at 850-892-8111, extension 3215, at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.
Originally reported by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. Image: Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
