Residents warn cuts to Chester Gap Fire Department would raise response times; county grapples with cost and revenue limits

At a Warren County budget public hearing, several residents and volunteer responders urged supervisors to maintain county funding for the Chester Gap Volunteer Fire Department and its cost-share emergency medical services, warning that cuts would increase response times in rural communities.

Sean Rowe, who identified himself as president of Chester Gap Volunteer Fire Department and a South River District resident, told the board the department's cost-sharing arrangement with Rappahannock County currently allows Warren County to receive "one firefighter EMT and one firefighter paramedic for a fraction of the cost of one firefighter medic at company 1," and that 60% of Chester Gap's runs are into Warren County. Rowe warned that losing the paid staff would mean longer response times when crews must travel from Front Royal.

Lieutenant Chris Fulton, speaking for Chester Gap, said the county currently provides $178,204 a year to Chester Gap and that replacing the volunteer-plus-paid model with a fully staffed career station would cost "nearly $1,000,000 per year". Fulton described volunteers and paid staff as saving the county hundreds of thousands annually, and said the plan to replace Chester Gap with three paramedics spread across shifts would yield only one additional person per shift at an estimated cost of $295,200.

Multiple residents recounted life-saving responses by Chester Gap crews. Alan Fox, who said he was severely injured in a 2021 vehicle crash, credited on-site intubation and rapid care by Chester Gap responders with saving his life. Janet Fox Monosmith described the department's roughly three-minute response on that night and urged supervisors to continue funding the shared program because "location matters, response times matter, minutes matter, seconds matter."

Board members acknowledged the emotional testimony and the importance of rural EMS but said limited county revenue and commitments elsewhere complicate the decision. One supervisor noted that Rappahannock County's actions and the interjurisdictional cost-share arrangement make the situation difficult to resolve unilaterally. The board said the decision on funding remains subject to broader budget constraints and scheduling.

Ending: The board did not take a formal vote on Chester Gap funding at the hearing. Supervisors said they will continue budget deliberations, noting that public safety funding competes with education, infrastructure and other priorities in a constrained revenue environment.