Scotland County Rescue Squad urges repurposing of $50,000 to complete heavy-rescue equipment purchases

David LaViner, chief of the Scotland County Rescue Squad, asked commissioners to repurpose existing budgeted funds so the all-volunteer agency can buy equipment and pursue heavy-rescue certification before he retires.

"We are 100% volunteers," LaViner told the board. He said the squad averages more than 1,300 calls per year — about four calls a day — and that the unit is the county's primary technical rescue agency for incidents such as vehicle and industrial extrications, high-angle and confined-space rescues, swift-water responses and agricultural emergencies. "We are the only technical rescue agency in the county," he said.

LaViner said the rescue squad does not receive the same call-out reimbursements as volunteer fire departments and that since fire departments began receiving payment, rescues have lost members. He said the squad's membership fell from about 24 to 12 and that the lack of compensation reduces availability.

LaViner told the board the squad had been awarded one of two state matching grants it applied for; the larger matching grant was not awarded because of a state-level appropriation issue. The squad had $50,000 encumbered in the current budget for equipment purchases; LaViner asked the board to allow the funds to be retitled and spent to complete purchases needed to achieve the heavy-rescue certification the volunteers have already trained for.

"I'm not asking you to spend any additional money beyond what you've already agreed to," LaViner said, adding that he hoped the county and city would agree to move funding so equipment the squad needs could be bought within his remaining tenure. He told the board that if the equipment is not purchased soon, the squad risks not achieving certification despite having already trained members.

A commissioner moved that the $50,000 already encumbered in the budget be released to start purchases; the motion was seconded. The board voted in favor by voice vote.

During discussion, commissioners and LaViner clarified existing administrative arrangements: the squad currently is housed at a fire department facility, operates on a 50/50 funding model through the city and county accounting arrangement, and does not control its own bank account. LaViner said he had offered a proposed change to allow funds to be directed into the squad's own account under a board-supervised treasurer; he named a potential treasurer who had agreed to serve.

LaViner also said the squad has previously secured more than $1 million in state matching grants for county needs and that the current shortfall was due to a missed state appropriation rather than project deficiency. He asked the board to act within about 10 days to retitle the encumbered funds so purchases could proceed.

The board took the motion and approved it by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting transcript.