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York County committee hears 5- and 10-year vision to unify fire and EMS services
Summary
County staff presented a five- and ten-year plan to standardize governance, funding and operations across York County’s 16 fire districts and three 911 EMS providers. The plan includes new software purchases, staffing and training initiatives, and consideration of a unified funding mechanism.
York County’s Justice and Public Safety Committee heard a presentation on a five- and ten-year vision to create a more unified countywide fire and emergency medical services (EMS) system, county staff said at the committee’s meeting.
David Culkin, a county staff member who led the presentation, told committee members the plan is “fluid” and meant to be developed with input from local chiefs and tax districts. “What is right for the citizen,” Culkin said, “not serving anyone, any particular agenda, any one person’s interest, or any one area’s interest.”
The proposal the committee discussed focuses on three pillars: governance, funding and operations. Culkin said the county has 16 fire departments—mostly volunteer, supplemented by paid staff—seven tax districts, roving daytime squads, and three EMS 911 providers (Piedmont EMS, 4 Mill EMS and River Hills EMS). He said response times currently vary widely across the county, “from 8 to 20-plus minutes,” and that county staff want to eliminate ZIP-code-based differences in service.
The presentation described near-term and longer-term steps:…
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