County to create Fire-Rescue Dept.
~ The Board of Supervisors Adopts the FY-25 Budget that will Officially Establish the
First Paid Fire-Rescue Department for Pulaski County, Virginia ~
The Pulaski County Board of Supervisors adopted their Fiscal Year 2025 Budget and included within the approved allocations is the funding necessary to create the first paid fire-rescue department in Pulaski County’s history. The FY-25 Budget provides the funding required to hire the first Chief of Fire-Rescue for Pulaski County and two additional full-time fire fighters and the necessary equipment and support needed to adequately provide fire-rescue response coverage during the days and times of week where the community experiences challenges with high-demand but low-response.
“Pulaski County has reached the threshold of industrial diversity and scale to now warrant a paid system for fire-rescue response, and the record-breaking number of building permits we have experienced in the past few years helps to further make the case that its past time for Pulaski County to make this important investment in public safety”, stated Jonathan D. Sweet, County Administrator. “The embarkation of a paid fire-rescue department is another milestone in elevating Pulaski County to a next-level community, and better equips the County to continue the advancement of our Comprehensive Plan and ultimately reach our goal of 40-by-30.”
The decision to establish a paid fire-rescue department came as a recommendation from the County’s Change Agent, Chris Gannon, who was contracted to develop and help implement a plan of action from recommendations received within the two independent studies completed in 2022 and conducted by the State Fire Program and Gannon Emergency Solutions.
“The Board of Supervisors has prioritized identifying challenges and opportunities within our fire-rescue response, and we dedicated the resources necessary to properly study the matter, bring in third-party expertise, develop an actionable plan and implement a sustainable approach to cost-effectively filling in the gaps in our fire-rescue response”, stated Laura Walters, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “We owe it to our citizens to have the level of response they deserve, and we owe it to the brave and dedicated volunteers fire fighters to ensure that they have the training and support they need to continue to serve the County.”
The County is able to afford and sustain the new paid department by resourcefully restructuring the County’s existing Squad 9 program to operate as a standalone Fire-Rescue Department. The County is hiring three additional professional firefighters to allow for four certified first responders to be on-hand from 7:00 AM -to- 7:00 PM Monday-through-Friday. The County is also seeking a Chief who will operate as the department head for the new department and provide the oversight for all fire/rescue activities conducted by our six volunteer fire departments within the County. The funding also includes an Administrative Assistant position to serve the newly created department as well as support and interface with Emergency Management and Emergency Medical Services. The County will continue to rely on our Volunteer Fire Departments to provide response from 7:00 PM -to- 7:00 AM Monday-through-Friday and on weekends when call volume is the lowest. The Pulaski County Fire-Rescue Department will also administer fire prevention programing and community education activities. The dedicated funding also includes direct financial support for volunteer fire fighters to receive necessary training, equipment, technical support, and will also include a response stipend to volunteers to assist with offsetting expenses associated with their volunteer response with the hopes of bolstering the recruitment and retention of these critical personnel.
“The volunteer fire departments are and will remain a critical and valued component of the fire/rescue system throughout the county, and they will continue to be mobilized on every call in their community”, stated Chris Gannon, Change Agent and CEO, Gannon Emergency Solutions USA. “What they can now rely on is the backing of a dedicated team of at least 4 professional staff to provide mutual support during peak demand weekday hours. This initiative will improve response times, operational safety and fire prevention, and will give the public an improved level of first-response service.”
The County is presently evaluating County-owned facilities centrally located in the County in and around the Town of Dublin to house and potentially collocate the Pulaski County Fire-Rescue Department. This approach would be an expedient and cost-efficient way of getting the department online and in service to the citizens and business community of Pulaski County.
“The collective of our existing volunteer fire departments represents a robust network of high-quality apparatus, equipment and personnel that will be efficiently utilized in conjunction with the County’s paid department to more rapidly respond to emergency calls”, stated Brad Wright, Pulaski County Emergency Management Coordinator. “Having on hand paid personnel who are ready and able to rapidly respond to emergencies will enhance what our existing volunteer system can deliver and help increase both the public’s safety and the safety of all our first responders.”
In addition, the FY-25 Budget includes funding to enhance the Emergency Medical Services Department by hiring a Pharmacy Manger due to new DEA requirements beginning in Fiscal Year 2024 that no longer permits EMS agencies to obtain certain medications directly from hospitals. All EMS agencies in the Commonwealth must now have an in-house pharmacy to handle their controlled substances and manage the high volume and complexities of medication our EMS provides patients multiple times per day, across more than 330 sq. miles, and on a 24-7 basis. This degree of assistance and level of attention requires a trained professional to carefully manage and administer this program.
“With the investment Pulaski County is making in Emergency Medical Services and Public Safety, we will be able to improve prehospital healthcare as well as provide a better level of service across all first response agencies, all while strategically preparing for future community growth”, stated Shawn Hite, Interim Director, Pulaski County Emergency Medical Services.
A Community Paramedic will help EMS backfill the transition of the Squad 9 Program and is designed with the strategic purpose of alleviating the burden on EMS response, on our medical facilities, on social services and law enforcement by reducing misappropriated requests and tying up limited resources. The position’s further purpose is to provide a better targeted service to community residents, and help reduce call volume growth rates. This program and its approach are supported by both the County’s fire and EMS studies, and is consistent nationally with industry best practices.