BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.– Faced with population growth, rapid development, and steadily rising standards and expectations, an independent study finds that Berkeley County’s rural fire service model is inadequate to meet current and future needs of the public.
During Monday night’s council meeting, consultants with Manitou Incorporated presented their findings before council members along with recommendations for a fix.
“A significant part of this study revolved around a fairly extensive list of records that were requested by each agency,” stated Charles Jennings, a representative with Manitou. “In many cases, those records were stored manually and getting access those records were a challenge and burdensome for many organizations.”
The study is recommending that the county prepare itself to take a more active role in terms of oversight, planning, and service provision.
“We believe that several departments are teetering on the edge of ceasing operations,” the study reads.
Simply increasing funds given to the fire departments is not a long-term solution, the study concluded.
“More money alone is not going to attract and retain volunteers, contrary to national trends and recent experience,” the study states.
The study also concluded that the administrative burden of managing and operating 26 independent fire departments is “unacceptable.”
“Some departments have as many board members as they have active members. The poor state of records in many departments is a demonstration of the need to streamline the management process. The lack of data on basic system performance frustrated this analysis,” the study finds.
During the compilation of the fire data, the study found that although some departments are functioning well, most are facing shortages of personnel and are unable to maintain operations in accordance with national standards.
While a complete countywide takeover is not recommended at this point, the study urges the county to develop the infrastructure to ensure greater support for fire service delivery. To ensure some consistency of service,
the study recommends that performance standards should be developed and departments should be held to them. Career staff should be deployed without regard to district boundaries and placed where they will have the greatest impact, the study suggests.
The study is intended to serve as a guide for county leaders to improve the current state of the county’s fire services.
To read the entire study, click here.
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