Asheville AFD REST team reports expanded winter coverage and falls-short staffing concerns
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Summary
The Asheville Fire Department's REST (Resource Engagement Support) team told the Public Safety Committee it provided 24-hour coverage during Winter Storm Fern, completed roughly 907 homeless-response interventions last year, and reduced business/neighborhood reports, but council members cautioned the eight-person team is stretched thin as services expand.
The Asheville City Public Safety Committee heard a quarterly information briefing from the Asheville Fire Department's REST (Resource Engagement Support) team on Jan. 29, 2026. REST program manager Hillary Jones outlined how residents and businesses reach the team (the Asheville app, APD nonemergency dispatch, or 911 when appropriate) and described proactive outreach that connects people experiencing homelessness with services.
Jones said REST provided 24-hour coverage during Winter Storm Fern, partnering with Buncombe County and the Red Cross to demobilize shelters and ensure roughly 80 shelter occupants had warm beds; she described ‘‘line‑by‑line’’ outreach to place people into shelter across two days. Lieutenant Fort Barry confirmed firefighters staffed REST responses overnight during the storm, locating multiple unhoused individuals and transporting some into Code Purple shelter operations.
Jones described REST operations as 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week, with two REST vehicles (one firefighter and one peer support specialist per vehicle) and emphasized interagency collaboration with the homeless strategy division, sanitation (purple‑bag initiative), neighborhood services, and Continuum of Care work groups. Jones cited year‑end dashboard metrics showing hundreds of app reports that translated into direct contacts and interventions; the presentation referenced roughly 515 app reports and 907 homeless‑response interventions for the reporting period.
Council members praised the team's impact but raised workload concerns. Fire Chief Mike Case and other members noted the REST unit has eight staffers and that expansion of service areas (including West Asheville) has increased hours and demands on team members. Chief Case said the team's success in reducing repeat reports has not eliminated the need to consider staffing as service expectations grow.
The committee did not take action; staff said the update was informational and will be folded into future conversations about service levels and resource needs.