Clayton County fire chief seeks $1.6 million to add 15th ambulance unit, cites rising call volume

Clayton County Fire Chief Tim Sweat asked the Board of Commissioners on June 24 to fund an additional full‑time emergency medical transport unit and two supervisory positions, requesting $1,595,802 in his FY‑2026 EMS budget submission.

Sweat told the commission the request would establish what he described as a fifteenth full‑time transport unit, to be designated Med 12 and assigned to Station 12 on Moneys Mill Road in District 3, and would add two sergeants to fully staff units that were partially funded under a 2019 expansion.

Why it matters: The chief said EMS call volume has risen significantly in recent years while county population and residential building have increased, concentrating growth in District 3. The request, if approved, would add permanent transport capacity aimed at reducing dependence on mutual aid when local units are fully deployed.

Sweat said the county’s EMS system currently operates 14 full‑time ambulances and the requested unit would expand that to 15. He told commissioners the agency has seen a 15.5% increase in call volume from 2018 to 2024 and that Clayton County added 8,094 new residential properties during the same period, which he estimated corresponded to roughly 23,201 additional residents; he said 53.6% of that new housing growth has occurred in District 3.

Sweat also noted operational patterns: while total call volume fell slightly in calendar year 2024 — the first overall decrease in a decade — transports increased by 1.2% in 2024, and certain weekdays (he cited Tuesday) are especially busy. He warned that when all units are in service the county must request help from neighboring jurisdictions or wait until a unit becomes available to complete a transport.

"When those units are fully deployed on calls, then we have to reach out to surrounding partners to support us," Sweat said, according to the meeting record. "If we can't find someone to back us up, then we have to wait for a transport unit to become available to then complete that call and transport that patient to the hospital."

Sweat closed by asking the commission to reconsider the EMS funding request as part of the FY‑2026 budget process. The item was presented during the public comment portion of the special called meeting; no formal vote on his specific staffing request occurred during the session.