Staff shortage hits Bath County fire, rescue squads

A dwindling number of volunteer fire and rescue workers has prompted tiny Bath County to ask the governor to allow state-paid employees to answer emergency calls during work hours.

Right now, it’s against state law to do so.

“In daylight hours—from 9 to 5—it’s at a critical point,“ said Jon Trees, chairman of the Board of Supervisors and a volunteer firefighter. “There are not enough responders.“

“A few more volunteers would make a huge difference,“ said Andy Seabolt, Bath’s emergency-services coordinator and a volunteer emergency medical technician.

County officials sent a letter this month to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine asking for a change in the regulation that forbids state-funded employees, such as those who work in the county’s social services department, from leaving their jobs to answer emergency calls.

“We have approximately 5,000 citizens in Bath County and every responder is crucial to emergency response,“ the officials wrote.

“We rely on local employers to allow their trained employees to respond to emergencies. We encourage the Bath County staff to volunteer and answer calls when available but it’s not enough.

“As there are state offices in Bath County we request that you review this policy/regulation and allow emergency service volunteerism during work hours. We cannot justifiably encourage private companies to send their employees if we as the government cannot.“

Trees added, “It’s so unbelievably hard to get people to commit to training and certification,“ he said.

Five small volunteer fire departments and three small volunteer rescue squad departments serve this mountainous county in western Virginia, he said.

Seabolt estimated there may be as few as 150 volunteer fire and emergency medical technicians serving the county.

A change in state policy would allow more people to respond and reduce the pressure on other volunteers, he said.

County officials plan to also raise the issue with state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath.
Contact Carlos Santos at (434) 295-9542 or .