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Fire and police chiefs present 2024 year‑end reports; departments cite rising call volumes, staffing and fleet concerns
Summary
Fire Chief provided year‑end fire service statistics including 1,411 calls and rising volunteer participation challenges; Police Chief Darren Amick presented calls‑for‑service figures, response‑time data, grant funding successes and staffing/vehicle shortfalls.
Fire and police leadership delivered year‑end operational reports to the Batesburg‑Leesville Town Council on Feb. 10.
Fire department: The fire chief reported 1,411 calls for service in 2024 and detailed prevention outreach — more than 800 contacts with children and more than 500 adult contacts — plus 75 home visits for smoke‑alarm installs and 23 fire‑code compliance inspections. The chief said call volume has steadily risen over the last decade, reducing average personnel available per call and noting volunteer participation has declined relative to call demand. The department expects a new apparatus to be delivered and upfitted in coming months; staff emphasized long‑term fleet replacement planning because the next oldest engine is 26 years old.
Police department: Police Chief Darren Amick said calls for service decreased slightly year‑to‑year but highlighted several operational points: average response time improved from about 4.17 minutes to 3.28 minutes; the department continues to manage staffing vacancies (several sworn vacancies and one lieutenant vacancy were discussed) and maintains crime‑analysis reporting under SLED/CJIS/NIBRS requirements. Chief Amick noted drug and weapons seizures in 2024, including 53 guns seized, several of which remain in evidence or court disposition; he also described grant successes totaling roughly $706,000 in award amounts with a town match of about $30,000 (grants covered radios, SROs, DV programs and other items).
Both chiefs and councilmembers discussed recruitment and retention challenges, the need for a compensation/classification study (an RFQ was posted), and the tradeoffs involved in fleet purchases versus budget constraints. Councilmembers asked about volunteer recruitment, duty hours, and the mix of medical versus other calls; chiefs provided clarifications about coding and response expectations.
Next steps: Chiefs requested council and staff collaboration on staffing strategy, fleet replacement planning, and pursuing grants to support equipment and personnel needs.
