|
|
By DAN TELVOCK
Filling gaps in fire and rescue coverage in Spotsylvania County has taken on new urgency.
The Spotsylvania Fire and Emergency Medical Services Commission will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday to come up with a plan.
The meeting comes after the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors voted unanimously last week requesting the commission expedite the process and have a plan in 30 days. Staffing stations and encouraging retention of volunteers is a hot issue in Spotsylvania, Stafford and other area counties as budgets are being developed.
Kevin Dillard, chairman of the commission, said the group has already created a master plan to get 24-hour coverage, seven days a week for all nine fire stations and nine rescue stations by July 2009. Of those stations, three currently have coverage gaps, he said.
"We will look at it as an opportunity to accelerate what we were going to do," Dillard said about next week's meeting. "The sense of urgency has now been expressed."
Spotsylvania Fire and Rescue Chief Chris Eudailey said there will be an open dialogue at the meeting.
"I think considerable progress has been made on the coverage, and we've done it collectively using our volunteer and career resources," Eudailey said.
He said if the effort for 24/7 coverage countywide can be expedited, then it's worthwhile to pursue it. Eudailey requested 48 new positions for the 2008 fiscal year. County Administrator Randy Wheeler recommended supervisors fill four positions for a new station in the Salem Fields area.
Supervisor T.C. Waddy has often complained about the lack of rescue service at Belmont Rescue Station 9. He wants to add more career rescue employees to the station because the next closest rescue station is about 16 miles away.
"This has been going on for about four years and it is time to put a halt to it," Waddy said in an interview about the coverage problems at Belmont in his rural Livingston District. "I want some fire and rescue coverage up here."
Supervisor Hap Connors called for the emergency meeting. He said that he doesn't understand how a combined system of about 400 career employees and volunteers can't provide full coverage to all districts in the county. The system needs to get past the conflicts between volunteers and career and even among some of the volunteer organizations, Connors said.
"I respect and I appreciate all the work that our career folks do and our volunteers," he said. "I respect the different volunteer organizations and their authorities but at the end of the day our customers don't care. They want a seamless professional fire and rescue service."
Carolyn Marsh, captain of Spotsylvania Volunteer Rescue Squad and a commission member, said the resources to staff Belmont will have to come from the community.
"I can't magically produce volunteers," she said.
Connors complained that the message from fire and rescue officials that a solution is coming has been the same as it was six months ago. He said Eudailey has to manage the combination system.
"I'm not saying it's easy," Connors said. "But at the end of the day that's his job and he will be held accountable like we all are being held accountable."
Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438| When?
The emergency meeting of the Fire and EMS Commission will be held at 7 p.m. at Courthouse Rescue Station 1 at 8711 Courthouse Road.
Why?
The commission will discuss how to expedite the process of filling coverage gaps in the county.
Where is coverage spotty?
Partlow Rescue Station 3
Belmont Rescue Station 9 Thornburg Rescue Station 8 |