Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Beaufort County EMS asks council to fund fourth shift to cut overtime and reduce staff fatigue
Summary
EMS leaders sought council support to add a fourth rotating shift (27 positions) to reduce chronic overtime and responder fatigue; staff estimated net new recurring cost about $702,000 (offset in part by reduced overtime) and asked council to consider the request in next year’s budget.
Beaufort County EMS leaders told the county council they want to add a fourth rotating shift to reduce overtime, limit staff fatigue and improve retention.
"Beaufort County EMS Responders are physically and mentally exhausted," John (EMS director) told the retreat, and he described the current schedule as three 24-hour shifts with 48 hours off. Staff said persistent vacancies — roughly 26 open responder positions at the time of the workshop — and frequent back-to-back shift coverage were driving excessive overtime and increasing safety risk.
Staff proposal: Add a fourth shift comprised of 27 positions. County finance staff estimated the recurring annual cost to onboard the fourth shift, after accounting for…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
