Wilson County is starting a funding study and fire district overview of the 16 volunteer fire departments serving residents and property owners in rural fire districts. Gordon Deno, the county’s emergency management director, said the contract for the study was signed and sent back Wednesday. “We are contracting with a company to do a study here in the county to look at our volunteer fire protection and which direction do we need to move in the future,” Deno said. “We are looking at the funding sources. We’re making sure that our districts are adequate and that we are providing the best protection we can provide. And of course they are going to be looking at the county contract just to make sure that the county and the fire departments are protecting the way they need to be through that contractual agreement.”