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Burke County emergency services outlines reorganization, praises multi‑agency response to Grace Heights fire
Summary
EMS Director James Robinson described a departmental reorganization moving emergency management into Emergency Services, outlined search-and-rescue demands and new trail‑marker plans, and credited unified command and regional partners for evacuating and sheltering 91 residents during the July 13 Grace Heights Health and Rehabilitation fire.
Burke County Emergency Services reported a departmental reorganization and an expanded emergency‑response effort Tuesday, and county officials credited unified command and regional partners with evacuating and sheltering 91 residents after the July 13 fire at Grace Heights Health and Rehabilitation.
The county’s EMS director, James Robinson, said the county moved emergency management out of the Fire Marshal’s Office and into Emergency Services to align planning and operations with ambulance and special‑operations teams. “We recognized a need for some change and we reacted to a situation,” Robinson said, describing the transfer of staff and functions and the creation of an emergency management manager and planner within Emergency Services.
Robinson told the Board of Commissioners that the county is roughly 150 days into the restructure and that aligning emergency management with EMS supports the county strategic plan’s public‑safety goals. He said staffing changes and training…
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