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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: continued strategic planning sessions with all 16 fire districts, monthly EMS coordination meetings with Piedmont Hospital and Piedmont EMS, the hiring of a dedicated fire accountant in the county finance office, updated emergency medical dispatch software and a purchase of 49 mobile data terminals (MDTs) for apparatus. Culkin also said the county purchased the FirstWatch data platform to analyze response metrics in real time.
Culkin outlined governance options the county will evaluate, including whether oversight should remain with the existing fire advisory committee, a newly created board appointed by county council, or another mechanism. He said county staff will study funding approaches to reduce disparities between wealthier and less-affluent districts; that could include centralized funding or a dedicated millage, though he noted any millage question would require council action and, where applicable, state-level referendum procedures.
On training and staffing, Culkin said the county will pursue standardized minimum training across districts, explore partnerships with local high schools and technical programs to expand junior firefighter and recruitment programs, and examine whether station facilities can support 24-hour full‑time staffing (some stations currently lack dormitory space). He said the county’s vehicle replacement program and procurement rules are under review to balance standardization with localized needs.
On EMS, the presentation recommended expanding county oversight of EMS data collection and deploying FirstWatch analytics to monitor not only response times but patient outcomes (for example, door-to-balloon and major trauma metrics). Culkin said there is currently no countywide EMS funding mechanism and that private or hospital-based providers sustain operations through contracts, billing and donations. The county will evaluate whether to increase its role in EMS delivery, oversight, or funding as part of the five‑ and ten‑year planning.
Committee members asked about annexation’s effects on coverage maps, the process for tax-district millage referenda, and which dispatch and mobile-data functions can be extended to fire units and police. Culkin said staff are meeting with municipal managers and chiefs to explore mutual‑aid and automatic‑aid agreements and are reviewing dispatch integration and tiered-response models to prioritize high-acuity calls.
Culkin presented target performance goals drawn from national standards: roughly 10-minute response times in urban areas and 13 minutes in rural areas, with a long‑term objective of 90% compliance with those benchmarks and with national safety and training standards. He said county staff will present budget priorities to county management and that leadership from local fire districts will participate in building and owning the strategic plan.
Votes at a glance: the committee approved minutes from the March 20 meeting and later voted to adjourn. Both motions were seconded and carried by voice vote; no individual roll-call votes were recorded in the transcript.
The committee agreed to meet bimonthly to allow budget work and plan development to proceed. Staff said they will return with more detailed budget-year priorities and proposed governance/funding options for further committee review.
