Fire and EMS union warns commissioners of staffing, response‑time strains
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Summary
A representative of Fire & EMS Local 4633 urged the board to move faster on recruitment and pay changes, saying rising call volumes and county growth have left average response times around 15 minutes and some drives approaching 30 minutes for border calls.
Brian Mead, speaking for Fire & EMS Local 4633, told the Currituck County Board of Commissioners on May 19 that rising call volume and population growth have strained local fire and emergency medical services and that the county can no longer rely on volunteer‑only models used two decades ago.
“ We can't do it like we did 20 years ago,” Mead said. “The call volume's up. The population is up. In 20 years, we haven't added an ambulance to the Mainland.”
Mead described long drives for volunteers and career staff: when multiple units respond simultaneously, ambulances from Water Lily and other stations can be 30 minutes away from some border calls, he said. He urged commissioners to act quickly on recruiting and retention, including more competitive pay and adding career staff to volunteer companies, and offered to assist county leadership in crafting solutions.
A commissioner told Mead the board will discuss the Fire & EMS Advisory Board composition in an upcoming meeting and that once the board decides a path, stakeholders including Mead would be part of follow‑up conversations.
The public comment followed a work session in which staff and consultants discussed beach management; commissioners framed the fire and EMS concerns as part of broader service and staffing issues addressed elsewhere in the evening budget presentation.