Consultants recommend staffing, dispatch and facility changes in Burke County public safety plan

Consultants working with the county presented a cross‑functional strategic review of Burke County public safety operations, recommending personnel, facility and technology changes across 911, EMS, the sheriff's office and volunteer fire services.

Why it matters: Public safety functions—emergency dispatch, emergency medical services, law enforcement and fire protection—account for significant recurring expenditures and have direct consequences for response times and life‑safety outcomes. The consultants said a combination of staffing, facility siting and technology fixes can improve performance.

911 (communications): The consultants recommended improving call‑processing times through better use of the county's existing computer‑aided dispatch (CAD) features, upgrading dispatch console ergonomics and continuing to build staffing and training. Consultant teams also recommended establishing a backup dispatch center (the county's community college was cited as a potential partner) and formalizing cross‑functional focus groups to strengthen relationships among dispatch, EMS, fire and law enforcement.

EMS: Reviewers led by Chief Scott Burnett found that call volume is growing and base locations are clustered in the county's center and west while demand is rising in the east. County EMS operates seven bases; consultants recommended continued planning for base relocation or additions so travel times and response outcomes can improve. Chief Burnett said local performance and facility investments already showed improvement in 2024 (his team reported that 2024 was the first year with a positive cash flow for utilities earlier in the meeting), but he emphasized competitive pay, a training coordinator, enhanced partnerships with volunteer rescue squads and careful base siting as near‑term priorities. He reported EMS had 81 positions and a roughly $7.9 million annual budget.

Sheriff's Office: The retired sheriff and consultants recommended adding personnel to reduce response workloads and expand investigative capacity. Recommendations included adding up to 16 deputy positions phased over four years to improve the county's sworn officer per‑1,000 population ratio (the consultants proposed rising toward a 1.7 deputies per 1,000 residents target). They also recommended a dedicated investigator for internet‑exploitation/child‑victimization cases, two K‑9 teams for drug detection and adding courthouse bailiff capacity tied to the planned courthouse expansion. The team noted sheriff's office staffing has been bolstered recently by reallocating several vacant detention positions to patrol.

Fire services and volunteers: The review highlighted rising costs for apparatus and equipment and national declines in volunteer rosters. The statewide volunteer headcount trend averages a net loss of about 3.5% per year; Burke County's net roster loss averaged about 1.4% per year over the same period. Consultants said countywide response times (turnout plus travel) vary by department and that many departments face the highest demand during weekday daytime hours when volunteers are least available. Consultants advised centralized recruitment and retention efforts, shared training, and consideration of district funding models or other stable funding mechanisms for apparatus and personnel.

Selected recommendations compiled by consultants included: - Strengthen 911 call processing through CAD optimization and improved console hardware, and establish a backup dispatch center. - For EMS: adopt targeted base relocations, a training coordinator, and competitive compensation and recruitment partnerships with volunteer providers. - For the sheriff: phase staffing additions (4 deputies per year over four years), add a specialized internet crimes investigator, and create a K‑9 drug enforcement capability. - For fire services: centralize recruitment and training support, consider funding standardization approaches, and plan for higher apparatus and equipment costs.

What commissioners asked: Commissioners discussed the feasibility of reallocating existing county positions versus adding new hires; the county manager described a "position justification" process in the budget office used to reallocate roles and said several positions already had been shifted to higher‑need functions.

Ending: Consultants said they will deliver written strategic plans for each public safety function that include prioritized actions, budgetary estimates and timelines. Commissioners were advised to take the recommended priorities into account during the budget and dot‑prioritization sessions the following day.

Quotes from the meeting: - "Call processing time improves so does all the service delivery areas improve," a 911 consultant said while explaining the outsized leverage of dispatcher workflow improvements. - "Recruitment and retention in 2025 is extremely competitive," Chief Scott Burnett said of EMS staffing.