Rescue chief urges county support; board approves use of $50,000 to secure heavy-rescue equipment

David LaViner, rescue chief for Scotland County Rescue Squad, briefed the Board of Commissioners on the squad's volunteer structure, call volume and equipment needs and asked the county to allow repurposing encumbered grant funds to buy equipment needed for a heavy-rescue certification.

LaViner told the board the rescue squad is 100 percent volunteer, responds to roughly 1,300 calls a year and is the county's designated technical-rescue agency for incidents such as heavy vehicle extrication, confined-space rescue, swift-water response and structural collapse. He said the squad had as many as 50 members historically but had fallen to about 12 active members after volunteer fire departments began receiving reimbursements that the rescue squad did not.

LaViner said the rescue squad had $50,000 encumbered in the current budget for matching grant purposes and that a state grant award that would have covered additional equipment did not come through this cycle. He asked the county to repurpose the $50,000 line item so the squad could purchase about $50,000 in equipment that was already encumbered in the grant application.

A commissioner moved that the county authorize use of the $50,000 to begin purchasing necessary heavy-rescue equipment; the motion received a second and was approved by voice vote. Commissioners discussed audit and oversight options if funding were transferred into the rescue squad's own account; LaViner proposed the squad add a treasurer and submit annual budgets and audits to county staff.

Why it matters: The rescue squad is the county's primary heavy-rescue resource and LaViner said the unit lacks equipment and has declining membership; commissioners agreed to allow the squad to access the encumbered funds to begin purchasing equipment needed for a state heavy-rescue certification.

Details and next steps: LaViner described prior success securing grant matches and training for squad members but said the most recent larger state grant was not awarded because of a state appropriation change. He requested the county allow the encumbered funds to be retitled and used to buy equipment and to consider a reimbursement-per-call practice similar to volunteer fire departments to support recruitment and retention.

The board voted to allow the $50,000 encumbered funds to be used to begin equipment purchases; details of accounting oversight and any ongoing reimbursement program remain to be worked out between the squad, county staff and the city fiscal officer.

Ending: LaViner asked the board to finalize support within ten days to meet procurement timing; the board approved the motion at the meeting and directed staff to coordinate next steps.